


Innocence

by Vinization



Series: Family and Power [1]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, And Rose Quartz, And Steven loves her and his dad, Angst and Humor, Attempted Murder, Awkward Tension, Best Friends, Bloop loves her son, Blueswap, Body Horror whenever the Cluster is involved, Canon Pearl is awkward as heck, Enemies to Friends, F/F, F/M, Flawed but adorable, Friends to Lovers (gradually), Homeworld is Horrible, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, Original Character Death(s), Rose is adorable, Someone please help Blue Pearl, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Wholesomeness, Zero to Hero, lying is bad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:49:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 102,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24008395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vinization/pseuds/Vinization
Summary: The life of the 10 year old Steven Universe is flipped upside down after he meets a strange, pink-haired woman in the middle of a weekend trip.He's delighted to find out that he and Pearl aren't the only gems on Earth at first, but as he finds out about his mother's past, and that of this group whose members call themselves the Crystal Gems, he can't help but ask: does he really want to be a Gem?Inspired by the sadly discontinued fanfics Crystal Clarity and Faded Blue.
Relationships: Blue Diamond's Pearl/Lapis Lazuli (Steven Universe), Blue Diamond/Greg Universe, PeeDee Fryman & Connie Maheswaran
Series: Family and Power [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1731487
Comments: 103
Kudos: 166





	1. A Wonderful Discovery

**Author's Note:**

> Pearl takes Steven on a relaxing trip.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl takes Steven on a relaxing trip.

\------------------

Honestly, Steven wasn't really excited to go on a trip, especially somewhere so far away from his home in Seoul, Korea. Though he was just ten years old, and looked even younger thanks to his chubby cheeks, fluffy hair and overall stout build, which gave him quite an adorable appearance, especially when combined with his big, brown eyes, he already knew that he was very different from ordinary people.

Even if he didn't have a giant blue rock embedded in the place where his heart was supposed to be, something that he inherited from his late mother, Blue Diamond, the fact that the closest thing that he had to a mother figure was Pearl, a blue skinned, blue haired and almost impossibly thin woman who also had a gem, this one being located right in the middle of her collarbone.

No matter how casual her clothes were and relaxed her overall demeanor was, they both attracted many weird and sometimes straight up ugly looks whenever they were walking along the Korean capital's crowded streets. The closest thing he had to something normal in his life was his beloved dad Greg, a retired singer and composer who owned a music shop in one of Seoul's busiest streets and, despite making a lot of money out of said business, was still very humble and never afraid to help his son whenever he needed anything.

Because of this, he was straight up terrified to go to some random little town when Greg suggested Pearl that they needed to go to a quiet, pleasant place where they could just relax for a while, and said that this "Beach City" was a good example, since it was a place that he already knew. How would the people there react when they saw Steven with his "mom"? The fact that this was a small town made him more nervous, since he could at least hide in the middle of a crowd. At the same time, however, he was still a young child, and was just as curious as anyone his age could be.

Maybe this trip wouldn't be such a bad experience after all. He only wished Greg could come along, but he said that he had to deal with something about the shop, a little thing involving the word "bureaucracy" which he didn't understand perfectly just yet.

Hmph. Humans and their mannerisms. Wait, he was thinking like **that** again. Nevermind.

The trip was surprisingly short, taking only a few minutes despite the fact that the destination was located on the other side of the planet. This was, according to Pearl, because of the extensive warp pad network that existed on the Earth, with many points everywhere allowing for great distances to be covered in a matter of minutes or even seconds.

All the boy and his surrogate mother had to do was access the pad that existed near the outskirts of Seoul, and bam. They had arrived in Beach City, and just in time to enjoy the sunset, too! As the blue-themed duo left the pad they were on (which was located inside an awesome multi-armed statue) and walked into the "city", which couldn't have more than a couple thousand inhabitants, from the beach, all the while feeling the cold breeze that came from the sea, Steven's shyness had been replaced by childish curiosity, especially after he noticed that the citizens barely paid attention to either him or Pearl.

By the time they saw the boardwalk and its many shops, he was very excited and happy to have come here, despite all of his previous reservations.

There was only one problem, unfortunately, and it was one that was entirely his own fault: Steven couldn't read any of the signs. How could he, when he was used to an entirely different alphabet? The boy internally reprimanded himself for not paying enough attention to any of Pearl's English lessons. At least he knew the spoken language well enough, thanks to his dad, so he wouldn't be completely lost, but even then, it made the whole "adventure" a lot more boring.

As Steven and Pearl approached a nearby pizzeria with the words "Fish Stew Pizza" written on a sign (not that he could understand any of them), however, he noticed something, or rather someone, very unusual looking just standing on the far end of the boardwalk, probably enjoying the beautiful sight that was the Sun setting on the shining waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

Interested on taking a closer look, he told his quasi-mom that he was just going to walk around for a bit (while she entered the pizza place and made an order), an idea that Pearl almost refused before thinking again. There wasn't anything unusual here, or so she thought, and Steven wasn't just going to walk off with some random stranger, so why not give him a little freedom while she ordered one of his favorite foods? The fact he wanted to walk around on his own instead of just standing by her side as he always did was actually a great sign, when she thought about it.

Free to explore Beach City without Pearl's supervision for a few minutes, Steven immediately set taking a better look at the strange, who he realized was a woman, without her noticing him. As he snuck closer and closer, he realized that "strange" was quite an understatement. First, the woman was truly massive, standing almost three meters tall, and she wore a plain white dress that seemed to have a few overlapping layers of fabric. Secondly, her long, silky and pink hair was an impressive sight, and that was without counting the immense curls that dominated it, some of which looked more like cannons. Steven wondered how many different hair products she used to make sure it stayed like this for a long time.

He wouldn't have time to ponder, however, since the stranger finally noticed her little admirer when he was standing right next to her, and it seemed that she was just as curious about this situation as Steven was, since she turned around to take a better look at the little boy, giving him a kind smile in the process. It was then that Steven noticed something about the giant woman that completely wiped away any reservations he had about going to Beach City: she had a large, pink gem in what should have been her navel, surrounded by a star that looked exactly like the one on his navy blue shirt.

Starry eyed and momentarily paralyzed by joy, he could only say one thing to the stranger:

"You even have a little star, just like me!"

Shortly after muttering these words, he turned around and happily ran back to the pizzeria as if he had just seen a celebrity in person.

Pearl had to see this!

Steven didn't realize that the woman was following him, nor that she was almost floating along the ground rather than truly walking, which explained why he didn't hear her coming after him, despite the fact that she was less than a meter away. Something about what he said just seemed off to her: maybe it was just her paranoia acting up, but why didn't he talk about her hair, or even her height? Why did he talk about what was probably one of her least notable features? And most importantly, what did "just like me" mean?

Her questions were soon answered when Steven entered the pizzeria and almost metaphorically dragged Pearl out of it, that's how excited he was. The quasi-mom and her little baby almost immediately noticed her, and there was no time to hide now.

Once Pearl set her eyes on the stranger (despite the long fringe that hid her eyes) she completely froze, refusing to believe what she was seeing.

For Stars' sake, she just wanted to take her adorable little "son" to a pleasant trip on a little town that Greg knew from memory!

She didn't want to face Rose Quartz, the gem who she despised the most, in person! **What was she supposed to do now?!**

Pearl couldn't know it, but Rose was asking herself that exact same question.

Still frozen and unaware of what to do, the blue gem could only mutter a word:

"R-Rose?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, this Steven is a lot shyer and more reclusive than the canon one. And since he knows very well that he's not an ordinary person, he sometimes has... interesting thoughts that he pushes away.
> 
> Greg seriously deserved better than running a carwash, even if he did become filthy rich later in the show. However, this also means that he's a lot busier, and the effects of that will fully manifest themselves at the end of the story.
> 
> So, what do you guys think? If you think there are any major flaws or typos, please highlight them in the comments.
> 
> Thanks in advance!


	2. A Bizarre Evening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven unwittingly reunites two mortal enemies. Awkwardness ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seriously didn't think that this story would cause such a reaction so soon! Thank you for all the kudos and comments!

\------------------

"R-Rose?" Pearl stammered.

"Wait, what?!" Steven exclaimed, completely surprised and, were he completely honest with himself, a little upset. "You know her, Pearl?"

No! This was the exact wrong thing to say! What to do, what do do!

From the get-go, the blue adoptive mother knew that fighting was out of the question. She was just a pearl, a little slave made to obey every single wish of her owner, and although if she swore to herself, Greg and her dying Diamond that she would protect Steven like a lioness, and actually saved him from a couple of monsters that one time in Seoul, fighting Rose and surviving was impossible.

The disgustingly kind-looking rebel (who definitely didn't look like a murderer) would probably hurt her precious little baby in the process, thinking that he was some sort of threat. Even if she had the fighting skills of the terrifying renegade who was always by that criminal's side during the war, she would be certainly shattered.

Another approach was required. It was a monumentally stupid idea, even more if she survived to be able to look at it in hindsight, but it was the only option available.

"Yes, I do!" Pearl nervously blurted out, not believing what she was about to say. "She's... an old friend of mine! I haven't seen her in years! Isn't that right, Rose?"

Were her Diamond watching her right now, she would definitely shatter her for saying those words, complete lies they may have been. Or maybe she would've just laughed at the unfolding absurdity, since Greg had made her so soft. Even then, an angry Diamond was a terrifying sight, but she was digressing.

Ugh, this was so humiliating... She almost wished she suffered that fate. But what happened next was even more ridiculous.

"Y-yes! It's been so long since we last saw each other, I actually forgot to call you every now and then! I'm so sorry!" The rebel leader said, clearly just as uncomfortable with this whole situation as Pearl was. The former slave couldn't believe her luck.

Rose was agreeing with her! She was probably thinking that her Diamond was nearby, that was the only possible reason.

Steven, meanwhile, was unbelieavably delighted, and his starry eyes proved it. He had actually met another gem, and she just happened to be Pearl's friend! How lucky could he be?

To top it all off, a teenage girl opened the pizzeria's door (breaking the awkard tension between the two older gems somewhat) and looked right at Pearl before saying "Oi, ma'am! Your pizza's been ready for a couple minutes now, please come get it before it gets cold!" before closing it. He was going to eat pizza! Hooray!

The pizza in question was absolutely delicious (not that there's a thing such as a bad pizza, Steven thought), but, to his dismay, neither Pearl or Rose were willing to take a bite, and just sat on opposite sides of the table nervously smiling at each other. The young boy, still not noticing that neither of the two adults wanted to be here, asked Rose all sorts of questions regarding gems, all the while eagerly chomping down his tasty meal, which disappeared in a surprisingly short amount of time.

Even though she had lived with him for ten years now, Pearl was still surprised at just how **ravenous** Steven's appetite was. This was something that he had since the days he was a baby, when he would sometimes eat nearly twice as much food as other children his age.

But even though he met a new gem and ate a very good pizza just a few minutes later (Steven made a mental note to remind himself if there were any "Fish Stew Pizzas" in Seoul), he wasn't completely satisfied with this trip just yet. He needed something to ensure that he would always remember it.

"Pearl!" an excited Steven exclaimed, "get the camera!"

"Steven... honey..." a clearly annoyed Pearl replied. Her disguise was cracking.

"Pearl..."

_Stars no, please, not that face._

Succumbing to her little son's cuteness, magnified by his adorable puppy eyes, Pearl summoned a camera from her gem, making her gem emit a strong white glow in the process. After that was done, she gave it to him.

"Now, let's all group up! We gotta celebrate!"

_...Fuck._

Pearl was actually going to stand right next to her sworn enemy and **smile** for a photo.

Once again, the pink-haired rebel leader was thinking the exact same thing as she was at the moment, though she obviously couldn't know it.

_Stars, please end me right here and now..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Bloop, poor Rose...


	3. What Has to be Done

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl and Greg discuss what do do after the former's encounter with Rose Quartz in Beach City.
> 
> Meanwhile, the Crystal Gems are busy doing the same thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first time writing the Crystal Gems, so if anything seems too OOC, please tell me in the comments, along with any typos you find.

\------------------

In a comfy, modest apartment in the middle of Seoul...

Steven was sleeping nice and snug in his bed after what had been the best day of his life yet. Not only had he traveled to a new place full of people who didn't mind him or Pearl (overcoming his own timidity in the process), he met another gem who turned out to be a super awesome heroine AND learned that she had three other friends! How could he not be happy to the point of exhaustion, to the point where he fell asleep even though it was still early in the night in Korea?

His parents, however, were another story.

"So, let me get this straight," Greg began, making sure he had heard Pearl's words correctly. "you and Steven met Rose Quartz, the one who started that whole ancient war thing, in Beach City, and after that he made you two eat pizza together?"

"No," Pearl replied, her voice low and soft, "we just looked and awkwardly smiled at each other like idiots while he ate the whole thing."

"Oh, sounds like Steven, alright. Then after he finished, he took pictures of you together?"

"Ugh... I wanted to say no, I really did, but he deployed the puppy eyes and, well... at least Rose was as uncomfortable as I was. But I haven't told you the worst yet."

 _Oh no_ , Greg thought. "Alright, go on."

"As we were walking back to the warp pad that me and Steven came from, we were attacked by a gem monster, one that looked like what you humans would call a centipede. It spat a burning green acid everywhere, so I grabbed him and ran to cover. Rose, meanwhile, was not only unscathed because of that damned unbreakable shield of hers," Pearl said, her tone showing her barely contained anger despite not raising her voice once, "she just jumped and punched its face so hard that its physical form evaporated. After that, she picked up its gem, which was likely some sort of jade, put it in a bubble and made it disappear somehow. And Steven saw everything."

"Oh boy..." Greg said, "Let me guess, he thinks she's some sort of supeheroine now?"

"To put it mildly. Rose has him completely wrapped around her fingers now. How am I supposed to say to him what she's really like when he saw her doing something like that? I can't just pretend to be that... that monster's friend for much longer! Had I only said no when he asked to look around..."

Despite being unable to see her eyes, Greg knew Pearl well enough to know that she was about to cry, and immediately hugged her tightly before that could happen.

"C'mon Pearl, it's not your fault. You couldn't have known that she was there." he reassured her. Thanks to the years he lived with Blue Diamond, he knew exactly how to defuse or at least minimize situations like these. Plus, he couldn't let Steven know that they were having this conversation.

"Actually, it's sort of my fault."

"What? Why?" Pearl asked, after finally managing to hold back her tears.

"Well..." Greg started, "remember when I said that nobody except one single lady watched my show in Beach City all those years ago, when I first met you and Blue?"

"Of course." Pearl responded.

"Well, now that You've told me what Rose looked like, with her big pink curls and everything, I'm sure that she's the one who watched me sing on that podium."

"Wait, my Diamond didn't tell you about Rose's appearance? Not even once?" Pearl was honestly more confused than upset, which was honestly a better reaction than the retired musician expected.

"Well, Blue always hated talking anything that reminded her of the war, plus I didn't think that was really important," Greg said, "and since we both know what she was like whenever she got angry," he continued, both of them shuddering after that, "I decided not to bother her asking her about that anymore."

"Oh." Pearl said.

"So... what are we gonna do now? He'll obviously want to see her again after seeing her save you guys." Greg asked.

"It's not like I have a choice in this. If I remember correctly, My Diamond told you about a giant geo-weapon that was buried in the Earth's core, did she not?"

"How could I forget that? Heh, she almost took me to space before I talked her out of it!" Greg answered, laughing a little at the sheer absurdity of the situation he was stuck in back then. Soon after meeting Blue and talking to her, she grabbed him like a doll and tried to take him somewhere where he would be 'preserved as a piece of Pink's legacy'.

He realized that he was being a bit too loud, but Steven was thankfully asleep for long enough not to hear anything. Hopefully. Well, this wasn't anything he didn't already know.

"Steven managed to get Rose to tell him that she has three friends who fight at her side, the 'Crystal Gems'" Pearl said, "their names are Garnet, Pearl and Amethyst, the second and the former of whom absolutely fought during the war."

"My plan is to get close enough to at least one of them to inform them of the danger that the Earth is in. Once that is done, we'll work together to stop the geo-weapon."

"That sounds straightforward enough when it's said like that, but-" Greg tried to speak, but was quickly interrupted.

"Since you actually met her once, could you go there with me and Steven next time? If anything, you might lower the tension a bit, or at least attract some of the looks that would be directed at me. Plus..." Pearl continued, a wry smile appearing in her lips, "you could really use a break, because it looks like what is left of Mr.Comet's tail is about to fall out."

Ah, the benefits of independence. She could actually say what she wanted to. It's not like she was wrong either, since Greg was completely **busted** after managing his store AND paying the bills at the post office on the same day. Though Pearl often volunteered to take part of the workload, she eventually realized that her presence probably scared potential customers away from there, since she couldn't hide her unquestionably alien origins.

"Very funny..." Greg weakly protested before yawning loudly, an obvious sign that he agreed with her. "You know what? We can do that tomorrow. Let's see if our little Schtu-ball wants to see a movie or go somewhere else."

"By the way," Greg said as he was about to fall asleep, and just as Pearl was exiting the apartment, "what are you going to do right now?"

"Ah, you know, the usual." Pearl shrugged, showing with a type of confidence that only a select few knew she had. "Good night, Greg."

"Good night, Pearl. Good luck out there."

"Tch, they'll surely need it."

\------------------

Meanwhile, in the Beach City Temple...

Rose waited until her three companions were back from another one of their missions, this specific one involving the reconstruction of an ancient gem structure known as the Lunar Sea Spire.

"You want us to do what?!" an exasperated white Pearl, so different from Steven's, exclaimed. "Do you at least know about Blue Diamond's whereabouts?"

"I know this is going to be difficult to all of us, to pretend that we're people who we are not. However, I believe this is the best way we can learn about what's been going on in Homeworld since the war."

The white Pearl coughed, eager to get a straight answer out of her leader.

"No Pearl, Steven didn't tell me anything about Blue Diamond. But since this whole idea of 'pretending to be your enemy's friend' actually came from her own pearl, it's safe to say that she can't do much, even if she's still around."

"No." a tall gem named Garnet, whose eyes were covered by her glasses and whose head sported an impressive afro, said. "I won't do this."

"Garnet, I-" Rose tried to say, but was immediately cut off.

"Rose, I fought by your side in countless battles and owe everything I am to you. If it weren't for you and Pearl, I would never have existed in the first place! However, this is too much for me, and I'm sorry. In my worst days, I can't stop thinking about what **she** almost did to me, and the mere idea of playing this... game almost makes me fall apart!"

"Garnet, please. I know that, and I won't force you to do anything against your will. Even I couldn't keep my disguise up everytime, and you suffered far more at the hands of Blue Diamond than I ever did. All I'm asking is for you, as well Ruby and Sapphire, is to keep your head cool and not do anything rash. You don't need to be friendly, just to be polite. And this also applies to you, Pearl."

"I understand. This will be... difficult, but I will try." Garnet said.

" ***** Ahem ***** , aren't you guys forgetting someone here? You know, the one Crystal Gem who DIDN'T fight in the war?" the short, purple-haired gem named Amethyst said.

"Not at all, Amethyst." Rose said in her usual kind soft voice, deeply aware that Amethyst, as the youngest member of the group, always felt left out whenever they discussed something that involved the Gem War, and made sure that she was included in these conversations.

"In fact, you'll have the most important part of all: you'll be the one who gets up close with this 'Steven' boy and see what he's like. Since you don't have any grudges against Blue Diamond or her Pearl, she probably won't mind if you approach them as long as you're careful about it."

"You're the one who saved him from that acid-centipede thingy, so why don't you do it? Oh, right, that pearl. Don't worry, ma'am!" Amethyst dramatically said while making a mock salute, which earned a laugh from the rebel leader.

"I'll make sure Steven learns just how cool the Crystal Gems are. Not exactly a hard thing to do, anyway." Now it was Pearl and Garnet's turn to snigger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This means that, out of the Crystal Gems, Garnet is the one who will be the most antagonistic towards Steven and Bloop. It only makes sense, since one of the first things she remembers after her "birth" is hearing Blue Diamond say "you'll be broken for this!" to Ruby.
> 
> Also, since Greg isn't around, the CGs are a lot less used to dealing with humans, especially Bird Mom here. Except for Amethyst, since she usually just walks around doing her own thing and is friends with people like Jenny and obviously Vidalia.
> 
> Which is she she's the one assigned to mingle with Steven and get any useful information she can out of him.


	4. One Last Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl makes two new friends while shopping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the action scenes are good. Also, I think this is my biggest chapter yet!
> 
> Also, warning for minor swearing. Nothing too major for now.

\------------------

The first thing Pearl did after exiting the warp pad, as she always did for six years now, was to take out and check the watch kept inside her gem and see what the time was back in Korea. Much to her relief, she still had seven hours left before Steven woke up and realized that his surrogate mother was in another corner of the planet. The former slave needed plenty of time fulfill her current assignment, the retrieval of a precious little artifact that, if it still worked, would do wonders to protect her little baby from Rose Quartz's manipulation. Said object wasn't particularly dangerous, nor was the place it was located in, at least in theory, but it didn't prevent it from having an extremely ominous, dark atmosphere.

But first, an explanation.

Pearl's double life began eight years ago, when Steven was just two. On one sunny day, as she, Greg and the then toddler went on a trip to the so-called Green Line, the colloquial name for a national park famous for its beautiful landscapes, rich wildlife and its odd appearance on a map, which resembles a straight line. Unfortunately, the trio never reached their destination, since the van they were in was attacked on the road by a monstrous, quadrupedal gem who rammed the vehicle on the side head on and easily tipped it over.

Greg and Steven were sent flying into the asphalt (the latter instinctively summoning a blue bubble that protected them despite lasting for less than a second) while Pearl was trapped in the wreck that miraculosly didn't blow up. The creature, which had many stripes, no visible eyes, a massive white mane and three horns on its face, chased and easily caught up with the retired musician, who ran away carrying his panicked, crying son (and crying uncontrollably because of that).

However, just as they were about to be crushed, Pearl, possessed by the strength that came from what can only be called a fierce maternal instinct, freed herself from the pile of debris and hurled a metal bar at the monster, which turned around and charged at her like a bull in a bullfight. Grabbing a much sharper piece of metal, the former slave ducked just in time to avoid being swatted by the gem's front paws and lunged at its vulnerable unterbelly, jamming the "weapon" she had with all the strength she had, causing a sickening sound that was instantly followed by the monster dissipating in a large cloud of white smoke that left only its gemstone behind.

Steven, who saw everything as if in slow motion, became an agoraphobe (a person afraid to leave his/her own home), a behavior worsened by the fact that he was very much aware that he wasn't an ordinary person, the most important difference of them all being the fact that he didn't have a beating heart like everyone else did, his gemstone taking that organ's place.

Pearl, meanwhile, realized that she couldn't protect her family if she didn't improve her meager fighting abilities, since she knew that the reason everyone survived that incident largely unscathed was sheer luck. The former slave first tried to learn various human martial arts all by herself, but, after learning nothing thanks to her unwillingess to have a teacher (as a gem, her strength was still superhuman, and she could seriously hurt someone), she realized that a new approach was required.

After grabbing a weapon of her choosing (a pair of short gauntlet-swords, or patas) in an ancient battlefield full of strawberries, Pearl engaged in her own, super special kind of exercise: poofing monsters and retrieving ancient artifacts all over the world, testing and overcoming her own limits in the process. This had the effect of making her brave and adventurous, with her "shopping runs" becoming a way to spend time while Steven was asleep, unaware of what his mother figure and homeschool teacher was doing.

Author's note: here's what a pata or gauntlet-sword looks like in real life.

Now, back to the present day...

Pearl's search for this run's artifact led her to the Kindergarten, a perpetually dark valley whose steep, near vertical were full of strange, perfectly aligned holes and large, long abandoned machines with drills on their lower ends and red crystals on the upper ones. Though the place was absurdly creepy, it was also completely devoid of life, which meant that it was unlikely for monsters to come in, and even if they did, she would surely hear them. Even then, she had a gauntlet-sword out just as a precaution, plus she also had to watch out for any machines that could fall and crush her.

The other problem was that the valley was simply enormous, stretching out for kilometers in both directions, and the object Pearl was looking for was not only tiny, but could also be anywhere. At least its surface was reflective, so she sould be able to find it if she emitted light from her gemstone as if it were a flashlight, which she promptly did.

And so Pearl searched.

And searched.

And searched.

And searched.

 _Alright, something is obviously wrong here_ , Pearl thought to herself. Maybe the sensors in her Diamond's palanquin had picked up a different but similar object, or maybe she read the map wrong. Then again, she never visited the Kindergarten before, and greatly underestimated just how large an area it was. Checking her watch, the frustration Pearl was feeling gave way to what could be best described in organic terms as an adrenaline surge.

She had just three hours to return to Seoul!

And she was not only quite far away from the warp pad now, she had no idea where she actually was! Everything in here was so perpetually dark, the former slave lost track of time, and she was still empty handed. How wonderful. First, she met Rose Quartz by accident and then looked like a chump next to her, now she was stuck in the middle of a creepy valley and had no idea how to get out. Pearl frantically looked around for anything that she could use as a reference to where she was and what path was taken, but there was nothing to be seen, just more broken down machines and even more holes.

And that's when she noticed a faint light coming from a certain spot in the ground and approached its source. Pearl had done it, she had found the artifact she was looking for! It was a small mirror that could be held with just one hand, which was pretty convenient for the former slave, since one of her hands was occupied holding a gauntlet-sword. Mirrors such as these were used as recorders during the war, and could play back anything it had registered first hand, so long as its holder requested to do so. Surely this one came to this horrible place through a warp pad, so as long as this thing was somewhat functional, Pearl could now rest assured that return home in time with her prize.

However, as she examined the item closely, her heart, if she had one, would have sunk. The mirror, although still looking good at face value, was actually badly damaged in its most important place: the gem that powered it, clearly a Lapis Lazuli, as shown by its blue color, size and distinctive teardrop shape, had a long, deep crack that ran through it, and Pearl had nothing that could fix that sort of damage. There was a serious risk that the gem might shatter from excessive strain if Pearl tried to use the mirror anyway, but she had no choice.

_Well, here goes nothing._

"Mirror, show me the nearest warp pad."

No response.

"Mirror, please show me the nearest warp pad."

Nope.

"Mirror, show me the nearest warp pad!"

Nothing. Pearl lost her patience, and since she had no time to lose, she began running to what she thought was the most promising direction.

And she ran, ran and ran.

And nothing.

"Damn it," she began, "just work for once and help me get out of this, will you?!" This was completely unlike the calm, polite and subdued Pearl who Rose Quartz's subordinates certainly heard about, even if her voice was still as unique as ever. She had no idea what time it was now, but she knew that she would probably go insane if she looked at her watch, so she once again began to think about something to do. Maybe she could scale one of the cliffs? No, they were too high and steep for that, and they were also full of machines that could fall at any moment.

She was completely alone. The only thing Pearl could hear was the sound of the wind blowing into the valley, and she couldn't tell where it was coming from. And it was driving her insane, so insane that she began to hear a horribly distorted version of her voice over and over again.

"heLp mE!"

"hElP Me!"

"Wait, what?!" Pearl said to no one in particular. And the voice just kept going.

"HelP mE!"

"HElp me!"

"geT me OuT pLEasE!"

This last phrase finally snapped Pearl out of her panic, and she realized that the voice wasn't coming from her own head, but rather from the very mirror she was holding. Maybe there was hope for her after all!

"Mirror! Can you help me?"

"PleAse!"

"Please, can you show me the nearest warp pad? Please?!"

"Help! GeT ME oUt pLeasE!"

"ANSWER MY QUESTION ALREADY! YES OR NO?!"

Silence.

 _Oh no_.

"No, no, nononononono..."

She had finally done it. She blew it.

"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have yelled at you! Please come back, don't leave me alone!" Pearl was on her knees and the verge of tears now. Holding the mirror with her right hand, she clutched it close to her chest as if it were a baby hoping that this -anything- would make it speak again. For Stars' sake, she needed someone to talk to.

"You're not a mirror, are you? That's what you wanted to tell me, wasn't it?"

"yEs"

A response!

"You're a living gem trapped inside it, and you want me to free you, right?"

"YeS PlEAse!"

Pearl inspected the Lapis Lazuli once again, and sighed.

"I'm sorry, but I can't. I don't know if you can see how you are right now, but your gem has a horrible crack in it. If I try to pull you out, I might end up shattering you!"

"sOrrY doN'T KnOW"

"What do you mean?"

"WaRp pAD don'T kNoW, I'm sO SoRry"

"Oh," Pearl said, wiping the tears out of her eyes, " **I'm** the one who should be apologizing here, I yelled at you like a maniac... You're a Lapis Lazuli, right?"

"YeS I aM DoN't aPolOGize"

"Listen here Lapis, I can't fix you right now, but I know someone who can. I'll keep you within my gem for now, but once I find this person, I swear she'll fix you! That's a promise!"

"THanK yOU tHAnK You so mUCh!" After these final words, the mirror dissapeared, stored safely within Pearl's gemstone. She was alone once again, but the former slave's luck continued to change for the better.

"HEY! Who's there? I heard all the yelling and crying, so come out wherever you are!" a feminine, unknown voice called. Pearl's heart, if she had one, would have jumped from joy. Whoever this person was, she absolutely had to have come from a warp pad. As she ran towards the source of the voice, she noticed that it was emitting a purple light, probably from a gemstone being used as a flashlight, much like her own was being used right now. It was the amethyst Rose talked about, it had to be!

And she was right. However, Pearl was so happy to be found that she forgot to make herself more recognizable and just ran at the purple gem with the pata in her hand and everything.

"Hey hey hey HEY!" Amethyst shouted, summoning a whip to protect herself from this stranger. "Who the hell are you?!" Pearl immediately stopped in her tracks and contained her emotions, taking a better look at the purple gem.

She was... very short. Way too short.

 _Of course it had to be an off-color..._ Pearl thought to herself.

"Are you kidding me?" Pearl said while pinching the space between her eyes, revealing her true colors as a loyal servant of Homeworld, even if her Diamond was long dead.

" **I** **said** , who are you? And what the hell are you doing in here?!"

"Oh come on, didn't your... leader tell you about me? Or does she treat you differently from her other acolytes?" the former slave answered with an aristocratic air, unaware of her blatant hypocrisy.

"Hang on," Amethyst said, very offended but also intrigued, "you're telling me you're that pearl Rose met in Beach City? She said you were some softy who didn't even show her face, not some super cool, sword wielding badass! Then again, you even have a little hairclip to keep it from covering your face..."

"Oh, you're one to talk about people's appearance, aren't you?"

"I'm complimenting you, you walnut. And you better get used to me, baby, 'cause I'm gonna show your 'Steven' everything he needs to know about us Crystal Gems, whether you like it or not! And what were you doing here?!"

"Rose assigned you to do that? Just when I thought she couldn't offend me any further..."

"I asked you a question." Amethyst was losing her patience with this snobby idiot very fast. She had actually complimented her, and all she was getting in return were insults!

"Not your concern." Pearl replied.

"Remind me, what's a pearl supposed to be doing alone in the middle of a kindergarten?"

"Again, not your concern." Pearl said with gritted teeth.

"You might as well be an enemy, so **yeah** it's my concern." Amethyst fired back.

"Oh, you little-"

"Just shut up and listen to me for once, will ya?" Amethyst interrupted. "I know you're going to say some crap about how I'm not supposed to be small, and I seriously don't give a shit anymore. Wanna know what's buggin' me right now? The fact that you, an ownerless pearl who's looks like some cartoon warrior who kicks asses everywhere she goes, thinks that she has the right to just insult as if she were some snotty uppercrust. Hell, you guys are supposed to sit perfectly still until your master or owner or whatever speaks to you! And what do you do instead? Heh, you even remind me of a certain renegade..."

Pearl had no answer for that, and Amethyst just smiled smugly, aware that she had gotten under the former slave's skin. It did help that she had plenty of practice back home, as the only gem who truly mingled with humans. Rose didn't count, since she didn't see them as equals like her subordinate quartz did, even if she flirted with them a lot.

After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, Pearl, simmering from being so completely defeated verbally, spoke up again, remembering that she was still in a mission and had to return home with a limited amound of time to do so.

"Ugh, this is a waste of time. Can you tell me where's the warp pad you came from?"

"Uh? What's that? You need the help of a defective gem like me?"

 _Oh Stars, just shut up already_. "Yes..."

"Then tell me what you were doing here."

"I told you already, it's not your concern!"

"Then it's none of your business to know where I came from." Amethyst calmly replied with a stern face.

"Oh fine then!" Pearl just stomped away in what she thought was the direction the little quartz came from.

"Knock yourself out! Oh, and you huff and walk just like her, too!" Amethyst shouted at her once she was far away enough, her voice echoing throughout the valley.

Neither of them noticed they were being watched until they heard a horrible roar echo shortly after Amethyst went on her way. Actually, it wasn't a like roar at all.

It was more like a scream.

Lots and lots of screams.

Amethyst was the first to face the creatures that were making those awful sounds, and they were monstrosities completely unlike anything she had ever seen. These weren't ordinary gem monsters that she fought for her entire life, these things were something else entirely. Of the more than ten creatures facing her, none of them had any recognizable, animalistic form, but were instead misshapen, multicolored abominations with multiple arms, legs, mouths and eyes that had many sizes. They looked as if they were made of multiple gem shards forcibly fused together, and the fact that their "gemstones" looked exactly like that supported said hypothesis.

Amethyst fended off her attackers one by one, summoning a second whip to complement the one she already had, and expertly poofed one abomination after the other. Unfortunately, there were way to many for the purple gem to handle all by herself, and they just kept coming nonstop from all directions. Spinning rapidly with both whips at once, she took advantage of the fact that they were now away from her for now to curl her body into a spinning ball, a basic quartz ability that she usually used to charge at her enemies, but in this moment used by her to escape from them.

Pearl's situation was much worse. Although definitely not a pushover, especially when wielding both of her gauntlet-swords, she was still an amateur compared to someone like Amethyst, who had been fighting for thousands of years, and as if that weren't enough, she couldn't just spin dash her way out of impossible fights like the purple gem, and had no choice but to face the horde of misshapen beasts head on all by herself. She did quite well at first, despite not being used to fighting so many enemies at once, but that situation began to change after she cut down the fifth or sixth abomination.

Slowly, she was forced to stay on the defensive, dodging multiple blows and blocking others, counterattacking whenever she could and slicing through yet more monsters, but exhaustion began to get the better of her, and she began to falter. The former slave was first touched, then punched, and finally grabbed and thrown around by one monster after another, but even then she kept kicking, stabbing and slashing with all the strength she had. Unfortunately, she eventually created an opening too large for her to cover or counterattack, and was grabbed and then slammed into the ground with great force by a headless creature that had a horrifically massive, muscular and deformed right arm. It was a miracle that she didn't poof right there and then.

However, she knew she was about to. The freak raised its arm as if it were a club, ready to swing it and crush her. Pearl was too dizzy to do anything other than think about Steven, Greg and Lapis, as well as look at her approaching doom.

To her surprise, the crushing blow never came, nor did the pain of being forced to retreat into her gem. Blinking her eyes, she realized that the monster had been hit right on the back by Amethyst's spin dash attack, and quickly dissipated into a cloud of white smoke.

"Hey, you gonna stay down there or what?" the quartz asked.

The question snapped Pearl out of her daze, and she quickly got up on her feet and holding on to her patas with a new, strengthened resolve. She would live to see another day out of this horrible trench, she would free Lapis from the mirror and she absolutely WOULD see Steven and Greg again!

"There are just too many! Do you have any ideas?" Pearl asked.

Amethyst's reply was quick and decisive. "Just one: we poof these things until they stop coming at us, then run to the warp pad before they come back!"

"Very well! You watch my back, I watch yours!"

The battle that followed was a beautiful spectacle compared to the desperate fight that preceded it. Seemingly forgetting the fight they had just minutes before all the mayhem began, Pearl and Amethyst fought back to back as if they were old comrades, and the way they covered each other's openings whenever they appeared and combined their abilities certainly suggested so. For example, the way Amethyst sometimes threw Pearl at some of the larger monsters with one whip and spinning like a spinning top with both weapons right after, an attack that took care of most of the smaller ones while the former slave was safely away from it, leaping from one giant fusion to another and stabbing them with her gauntlet-swords. As the duo performed their deadly synchronized dance, they inched ever closer to the warp pad.

By the time the last monsters were finally dealt with, the exhausted pair were standing right on it, and were ready to leave. With no abominations around for now, the gems stopped to catch a breath and think about what they just did, as the valley was dominated by the sound of blowing wind once more.

"You..." Pearl began, "you helped me. You actually helped me. Why?"

"What? Would you rather I left you there with those... things?" Amethyst asked with an exhausted, annoyed voice.

"Of course not, but still, why? I was horrible to you, probably would've been your enemy in any other context **and** I kept insulting you even though you actually said good things about me! You could've just rolled your way back here, surely you could do that!" a grateful but confused Pearl responded.

"Well, put yourself in my shoes. You're being attacked by Stars know how many monsters of some type that you've never seen before, and there's someone else right next to you who's about to die. Would you just run away if you could?"

"I... I have no idea."

"I didn't know what I would do either, until it actually happened. Guess you just gotta hope you don't need to find out. Now it's my turn to ask you a question: what were you doing here?"

"I... needed to help a friend. Look, I swear I'll give you all the details later, but right now I really need to go back home as soon as I can." Pearl said, still refusing to take out her watch.

"Well, good luck out there, Bloop. Ugh, what a mess that I'll have to clean up..." Amethyst said, looking at the huge number of gemstones everywhere.

"Wait, you're staying here? What are you going to do? What if more of those monsters attacked you?" Pearl asked, suddenly concerned about the little quartz's safety.

"Eh, nothing too serious, just put these things in bubbles and send them back to the temple before they reform and start attacking people again. And hey, you're the one who said I could just run away from everything, but I've been at this for a lot longer then you have, so I can take care of myself." Amethyst replied.

"Oh, right, I'm sorry. Oh, and Amethyst" Pearl said, ready to activate the warp, "I'm really, really sorry for all the things I said to you. You don't have to forgive me, but you not only showed me how wrong I was, you saved my life while doing so, and I really owe you one for that. I'll make it up to you someday, I swear."

"Eh, what can I say?" Amethyst shrugged, "I can't really help being cool like that. Bye-bye, Bloop!" she said while waving her hand.

"Goodbye Amethyst, see you soon!" Pearl waved back, the pad beginning to glow.

_Hang on a second, what? **Bloop?**_

"Wait!" Pearl asked, once again confused, "What is 'Bloop' supposed to mea-"

The former slave didn't get to ask her question, since the pad quickly activated and sent her back to Korea.

"You'll get it someday" Amethyst said to the now empty warp pad. After that, she looked back at the many, many, many gemstones lying everywhere, just waiting to be bubbled. The purple gem sighed, but at least this was a better task than having to fight them all again, and she **really** didn't want to do that.

Meanwhile, in a very distant place...

Pearl finally summoned the courage to look at her watch, now that she had reached Seoul at last. She was surprised and relieved after seeing that she still had an hour and a half left to make it to her apartment, something the former slave could almost do with her eyes closed. Speaking of eyes, it was time for her to change back to her timid normal persona, and she did so by changing her clothes back to the more casual style that she always wore and removing the clip that kept her blue hair from covering her eyes.

Fate was really smiling to her after all: in a single shopping run, Pearl retrieved what she was looking for, survived a fight with multiple horrible monsters, and finally made two friends in the process. And as if she weren't lucky enough, Amethyst was the one who was assigned to keep an eye on her and Steven!

She couldn't help but walk back home with a big, satisfied smile in her face.

Now all she had to do was convince Rose to heal Lapis and then warn her and the other Crystal Gems about the Cluster.

It was still quite a task to do, but it didn't seem so daunting anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternate Title: Bloop and Amethyst are badasses, the chapter.
> 
> Blue Pearl is, for now, very much a Homeworld Gem, despite the fact that her behavior is very similar to a certain renegade. Because of this, she still subscribes to Homeworld's racist beliefs, much to Amethyst's irritation, until she finally calls Bloop out for her obvious hypocrisy.
> 
> Also, Lapis Lazuli!
> 
> EDIT: Also, one thing I want to establish in this chapter is that no one in this story is going to be a perfect cinnamon roll. Every character will make mistakes every now and then, some of them more severe than others.


	5. An Outdoor Lesson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven, Pearl and Greg explore Beach City, and the latter has plans for the future.
> 
> Amethyst is happy to tag along. Way too happy, Steven thinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter provides you guys with some of the tooth-rotting fluff that's been shown on the tags.
> 
> Once again, if the behavior of any character seems too OOC, please tell me.

\------------------

It had been an oddly normal day in the Universe family's apartment in Seoul, but things were just slightly different in the best way possible.

First, the normally reclusive Steven couldn't wait to go to Beach City a second time, obviously hoping to meet the other three gems Rose talked about, and only stopped annoying Greg and Pearl by repeatedly asking the exact same question over and over again when the soft spoken blue gem gave him a lesson on time zones, which meant that they could only go there when the sun was setting in Korea, to the hybrid's dismay. Still, at least he was going there, and for now he could at least spend time with his "mom" and dad.

Which brings us to the second thing that made this day unusual: Greg had decided to stay home with his son instead of working in the music shop as he did almost every day, and it showed. The former musician and salesman, who was usually tired from all the work he had to interact with Steven very much, was, today, full of energy and eager to tell absolutely everything he remembered about his tours around the world, from that one show in Beach City where nobody showed up except a single lady until right before he met Blue Diamond, when he, although not exactly a superstar, had become reasonably successful and a bit of a cult icon.

But even Greg had only so many interesting stories to tell, and even though he had plenty of them, all of which Steven listened to closely, he decided to stop talking about his past after telling his son about his show in Saint Louis, Missouri, when he finally decided to ditch his manager Marty, who was an awful guy all around.

To think that he almost did exactly that in Beach City...

Though Greg himself loved to tell stories, he was always afraid to run out of interesting ones, since storytelling was one of the best ways to spend what little time he had with his son. The only thing he loved to do more than that was turning the half-gem's poems into songs. Steven was never got into things like singing or playing instruments, despite Greg's many attempts and introductions to things such as an ukulele and even a piano, but he absolutely **loved** to write lyrics and rhymes, becoming quite a prolific poet after his dad discovered his true passion and encouraged it.

 _Heh, maybe I could become a writer_ , the hybrid thought. _Or maybe I'll finally get tired of pretending to be a human to these people by then. Oh, just shut up and enjoy the situation you're in for once, will you?_

With story time over, the next thing to do was listen to one of Pearl's daily homeschool classes, and this one was actually quite interesting, since it involved learning about (you guessed it, reader) ancient poets and their surviving works, and what they told about the forgotten times and countries they lived in. Though he had already read about stuff like the Illiad and the Odyssey, he had never looked at the actual works in person, nor had he read many other poems that were made much closer to home both geographically and chronologically, such as 'Lion-Eating Poet in the Stone Den', which was hilarious.

After class time ended, it was time for the trio to watch all sorts of movies in the hours that remained, most of them being chosen by Greg, although always with the other two's input. In the end, most were good, bright looking comedies that got all sorts of laughs from the three.

Steven didn't fail to notice that both of his parents were doing their best to ensure that he was as comfortable and happy as possible, and he fulfilled their aims by doing exactly that, not that this could be helped: first, he heard cool stories from his dad, then he got a very good lesson with Pearl (not that they weren't always good), and to top it all off he was going to Beach City and spend time with the Crystal Gems, hopefully learning about them and the gem species in the process!

 _And about Mom_ , he reminded himself internally.

Hours later...

"I know Pearl has just taught me about time zones and stuff, but this is going to be seriously weird. The idea of seeing the sun high up in the sky just after we saw it set here?" Steven remarked.

"I only hope you don't get sleepy after we get there, Schtu-ball." Greg said in response.

"What? No way! I've been looking forward to go there all day!" Steven replied with an air of mock offense, "I'm more worried about you, Dad. You're usually so tired..."

"Ah, don't worry about that, little man. Actually, I hope I don't bore you to death talking about all the stuff I did there so many years ago. It's been so long, I wonder what changed while I was away..."

"Not much, I bet." Pearl said. "Besides," she continued, "I think we can finally go there now!" she completed after looking at her watch with an enthusiasm that wasn't entirely fake.

The trio finally made their way to the warp pad, located in a spot not that far away from the place where Greg first met Blue, Steven practically bouncing ahead of his fellow family members as if he were about to start running. Though he was never really a fan of nature, not since that horrible incident eight years ago, an uneasiness that was increased by the fact that it was night in Korea, the fact that they were going to Beach City ensured that his excitement wiped out any fear that existed in the hybrid, at least for now. Plus, even if they **were** attacked by some big scary beast, who's to say that Pearl wouldn't save the day? She already saved his life once, and even though that happened a long time ago, Steven couldn't help but instinctively feel confident and safe around her.

The warp journey was exactly like the one that first led Steven and Pearl to Beach City, and took mere seconds to complete. However, just like everything that was going on in that day, it also had its own funny twist, said twist being the fact that poor Greg (obviously not used to this type of transportation) almost floated out of the warp stream and was rescued by Pearl, only to later plop like a fish out of the water on the smooth surface of the pad located within the Crystal Gems' temple.

"Ugh, I feel like someone put me in a washing machine and turned it on..." the retired musician said, overwhelmed by nausea. The warp network wasn't built to be used by organics, and traveling through its streams too often could have all sorts of uncomfortable and embarrassing side effects. Thankfully, Steven was half gem, so he fortunately didn't feel it as much as Greg did.

Before the young boy and the former slave could help him get up on his feet, however, they had to shield their eyes, which weren't ready to take on the hot, bright light from the sun, which was shining with all its strength in this corner of the Earth. By the time their sight adapted itself to the unexpectedly bright landscape, Greg had already gotten up and soon the trio was ready to continue their trip.

Steven ran ahead of his parents into the beach and turned right into the boarwalk where he spent the evening that changed his life, hoping to see Rose or any other gem nearby, but there weren't any that he could see for now. _They were probably busy beating up monsters and such_ , the deflated boy thought. Still, if the position of the sun was enough of a hint, he had a full day ahead of him, and no amount of fatigue or sleep deprivation would stop him until he met the Crystal Gems.

"Hey! Wait up, Schtu-ball!" Greg shouted while running after him.

"Look, I know you've been wanting to see Rose and the others all day, but you can't just run away from us and into a place you don't know like that!" Pearl reprimanded after the two caught up to the hybrid.

"Hang on, it's not like there's anything dangerous out here," Greg said while huffing, "but still, yeah. Plus, you'll just tire yourself out if you run around like that" he completed.

"Sorry guys, you're right." Steven said. "It's just that, well, the idea of spending time with other gems and get to know them, I can't wait for that! But I guess I'll end up having to wait anyway, since they aren't here." he completed after pointing to the boardwalk that was for now full of ordinary people entering and exiting the shops along its length.

"Oh, I'm sure at least one of them will be around here somewhere," Pearl said, sure that Amethyst was waiting to see them in one of the shops. "For now, how about we order ourselves a pizza? I was so surprised to see Rose here last time that I didn't even grab a slice...

 _Wait, what in the world happened last night after her talk with Dad? She actually wants to be here? I swear I heard her calling Rose a monster!_ Steven thought. This was really weird.

After passing through the doors of Fish Stew Pizza, the trio noticed a short, long haired purple woman just lounging about with her back to the wall and a bored expression, as if she was waiting for someone to arrive. Realizing that said woman was obviously a gem, not only because of the purple rock in her chest, but because of all her other unusual features, Steven raced to meet her with stars in his eyes. There was also one thing in particular that he wanted to check out, and if everything about her was everything he thought it was, then this would be more than enough to make this yet another one of his best days yet.

Noticing the Greg, Steven and Pearl, Amethyst quickly flashed a smile and completely changed her expression into a relaxed one, relieved that they had finally arrived. Before she could say a word, however, she was quickly hugged by the delighted half-gem, who did his best to give hear a bear hug despite his small size. After a couple seconds, he let go and began to talk.

"So you must be Amethyst!"

"Sure thing, bud, and you gotta be the Steven guy Rose told me about." She replied while ruffling his hair.

"Steven Universe! And I was afraid that you guys were away doing some cool mission or something!"

"Well, Rose and the others are." Amethyst said, shifting her look to the other two, waving at Pearl. "Yo Bloop!"

 _Nicknames? So these two definitely met each other before, and they're on much better terms than they're supposed to be. I'll have to start writing about this..._ the boy thought.

"Hello, Amethyst" Pearl said with her typical timid voice, as if the two weren't already good friends thanks to what happened last night.

"And I bet you're this little guy's dad, right?" she playfully said while pointing at Greg.

"Uh, I'm Greg Universe, pleased to meet you." the retired musician said while making a slightly awkard smile and extending his hand for a shake.

"Well, I'm Amethyst and I'm also pleased to meet you!" she said while eagerly shaking his hand, a gesture that did much to bury Greg's doubts about meeting a Crystal Gem.

"Wait, so they left you behind? Didn't you want go along?" Steven asked.

"Well, I've decided to take a break from being cool and just chill for a while. Plus, Rose said that she thought you were comin' back, so I figured I might as well stay and teach you guys about everything around here. But first!" Amethyst said while gesturing to the pizzeria's bartender, whose name, the hybrid would later learn, was Kiki Pizza, "I'm starving, so it's time to teach you about this place's special order!"

Said 'special order' was really nothing more than a pizza that had literally all the toppings available (which gave it a strange appearance, the cheese being several centimeters taller than usual) but everyone dug into it quite happily, although they needed spoons to do so. Even Pearl, who wasn't a fan of eating, took a few bites and happily bantered with the purple gem. Steven, however, was a bit less enthusiastic than he was when he first looked at her, although nobody noticed.

When he first looked at her short, stubby body, he hoped, above all else, that she was shorter than him, even if only by an inch or two. He had always hated his own height, and seriously thought every once in a while about wearing heels, though he always decided against it because they looked too girly on him.

Sadly, he was still shorter than Amethyst, although not by much. He was still growing up, thankfully, but he had ridiculously big shoes to fill, considering he knew that Blue Diamond was as tall as a five-story building, or so Greg's stories said before the former singer stopped talking about that particular thing after an unfortunate incident two years ago. Though he had come to terms with the fact that he would never reach that height, he hoped that there was at least someone he could look down upon or look directly at that wasn't a ridiculously young child. Well, at least he would catch up to Amethyst someday.

 _Eventually... All the food I eat has to go somewhere,_ he thought to himself.

After the four finished their special pizza (Amethyst ate most of it, much to Steven's surprise, since he though of himself as the most voracious person he ever knew), they set off on exploring Beach City, the Universe family being basically tourists and Amethyst their guide, leisurely bantering with Pearl about all sorts of things.

Well, whenever she could, because Steven kept asking her all sorts of questions about gem stuff as they walked around.

"How old are you? Can you summon a cool weapon like Rose can? Can every gem do that? Can you make bubbles? Can you, like, jump super high or something like that?"

"Hey hey hey little guy, one question at a time please." Amethyst said.

 _Can you please stop calling me little?_ Steven said internally.

"Alright, so first, I'm like five thousand years old or somewhere near that, hell yeah I've got a cool weapon, every gem can do that, I can make bubbles and jump super high. Anything I forgot?" Amethyst said, running out of breath.

"What is it? Please show me!" Steven asked with stars in his eyes once more.

Shrugging, the purple woman casually pulled a whip out of her gemstone as if it were the easiest thing in the world. To the half-gem, it looked **awesome** : long, flexible and covered in little purple thorns, it looked elegant and very deadly if used properly. And its wielder was thousands of years old...

"PLEASE show us what you can do with it!" Steven began. "Can you twirl with it like a ballerina, or maybe cut things with it, or use it as a grappling hook, or-"

"Steven, please, Amethyst can't do that even if she wanted to." Pearl interrupted with her soft voice. "If she did that, she could break something, or worse, hurt someone!"

"...Yeah, let's go with that." Amethyst said, hiding the whip in her gem once more. "So, what about you, Steven? Got any cool stuff to show me?"

Pearl immediately shot Amethyst a glare from underneath her fringe, and Greg coughed at the same time. _Shit, I asked him the wrong question_ , she thought.

"Well..." Steven began, looking at the his feet and fiddling with his fingers, "whenever I cry, the people around me cry too, and that's it."

"... Sorry dude, I didn't mean to-"

"OR!" Steven suddenly exclaimed with a determined look in his eyes, startling his superiors, "That was what I thought!"

Now he had everyone's attention, so he continued.

"I discovered a few days before I met Rose that I can control little bits of water! It's nothing really impressive just yet, I admit it, but now I'll get the chance to train with you guys!"

"YOU CAN WHAT?!" Now it was Pearl and Greg's time to shout.

"Wha-what did you just say can you do?" Pearl asked. She had never seen her Diamond manipulate water before she died, the only type of gem that's supposed to do that is a... lapis lazuli. Now the former slave had a new reason to free her friend from the mirror.

"Like I said, it's nothing really cool yet. I can make a tiny floating water ball and keep it in place for a few seconds until it falls apart and soaks everything around it."

To prove that he was saying the truth, Steven walked next to a small puddle on the sidewalk (it had rained yesterday) and did exactly what he said he could do, gesturing with his left hand and creating a floating, tennis ball sized sphere of water that crumbled apart in a few seconds.

"Dude..." Now it was Amethyst's turn to be starry eyed, even if only for a second before she began to laugh out of relief. "That's seriously cool! And we'll help you out, kid, you can bet that!" she said while giving the boy a thumbs up.

"Oh Steven, we're so proud of you!" Pearl said while hugging him with tears welling up beneath her hidden eyes, and Greg was busy doing the same thing. Their baby was growing up! After a few moments that would probably rot Amethyst's teeth if they were any sweeter, the four continued to travel around Beach City, the tourist trio being introduced by the purple gem too all sorts of new places and people along the way, as well as others who had met Greg during his short stay years ago, earning lots of interesting conversations full of nostalgia about the old times that Steven and Pearl didn't really understand since they weren't there.

However, Greg had more in his mind than just reconnecting with the past and seeing what little had changed despite all the years that had passed. Though the lack of sleep was beginning to get to him, he still inspected every building he passed through like a hawk, hoping to find an abandoned one that he could buy and refurbish. It was about time he retired to some comfy, sunny place to spend the rest of his life with his son, since he had more than enough money to live with.

Unfortunately, this was supposed to be a surprise to Steven, so he couldn't just straight up ask Amethyst about a nice place to build a new house in, as well an area where he could take care of all of his instruments properly. In the meantime, these exhausting trips would have to do, not that the little ball of joy he loved so much seemed to mind.

He still couldn't believe that Steven had changed so much in the space of a few days. The once reclusive, shy boy who hated going outside was opening himself up and showing to the rest of the world who he truly was, all thanks to the fact that he had met new people who were gems exactly like him, who also lived in a tiny town, away from the constant auditive and visual bombardment that characterized large cities like Seoul and Empire City, the latter of which wasn't really far away from here.

As much as Blue hated the Crystal Gems (in the few times she talked about them), Greg had to confess that they were really helping her once lonely son not feel so alone in the world. The fact that the citizens didn't mind the little hybrid and his fellow gems and didn't give them weird glares also helped a lot.

Although displeased with the fact that Rose and the others weren't there to see his new power, Steven was nevertheless very happy despite his visible exhaustion and dark bags beneath his eyes. By the time his family returned to Seoul for some desperately needed rest, he felt that he had accomplished a great feat by securing, if not the friendship, at least the good graces of one of the Crystal Gems, a crucial step for his plans, even if it seemed that they were desperate to woo him to their side, if Rose and Amethyst's behaviors were enough of a hint. And Pearl helped him a lot, he couldn't forget that. And he had to tell her that he needed another English class...

He would get the answers he wanted, no, **needed** , soon enough, but for now he just had to play along and see how long it would take until the true nature of this 'friendship' was revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Steven is a poet instead of a singer here, and he loves to spend time with Pearl and Greg, since he doesn't enjoy their simultaneous company often.
> 
> He can also manipulate water as well as people's emotions, is really insecure about his own height, and is a sneaky little bastard who is nowhere near as stupid as he pretends to be.
> 
> Though he can be stupid in his own, super emotional way.
> 
> Any comments are much appreciated.


	6. Preparations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A couple of days after their second trip to Beach City, and right before his first real mission, Steven has a confession to make to Pearl.
> 
> Meanwhile, Amethyst voices her opinions on the little hybrid and his parents to her fellow Crystal Gems, as well as the strange monsters she fought on the Kindergarten with the blue gem at her side the night before their tour of the city.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be the last family focused chapter for now, and also my first time writing angst. 
> 
> The following ones will have more action and training, and I can only hope they match your expectations.

\------------------

The couple days that succeeded their guided tour of Beach City were were incredibly busy for the Universe family in Seoul. After his short break, Greg had returned to his job, much to Steven's displeasure, since he would now only see his beloved dad for a short period of time once again.

This was exacerbated by the fact that he wasn't spending much time at home anymore, but was actually shopping with Pearl on multiple stores at a time before going back to their apartment with large heavy bags filled with all sorts of products. As they were doing that, the pair were obviously the target of the glares that Steven hated for all his life, but now, thanks to his newfound confidence, he just shrugged them off.

The hybrid's good mood was boosted by the fact that he and Pearl were finally going on a real mission with the Crystal Gems very soon. Amethyst had promised exactly that to the family during their tour of Beach City after showing them around, a decision that was no doubt taken because of the purple gem's odd friendship with Pearl (it didn't make any sense, considering that he heard her literally call Amethyst's leader a monster, and was on the verge of tears when she talked to Greg about having to pretend to be her friend) and Steven's own determination to his control over his innate gem abilities, such as the hydrokinesis that surprised his parents so much that day.

The last thing the purple gem said before the trio used the warp pad was that the place they they were going to was a very cold region in the far north. Hoping to create an air of suspense and anticipation to the boy, she refused to say exactly what they would be after, only stating that it was something important and dangerous.

It worked, and Steven couldn't be more excited, something that showed in the following days of shopping. He couldn't understate how good it felt to no longer hide within Pearl's shadow in the busy streets of the Korean capital. He should've begun acting like this sooner...

Speaking of shopping, what was he buying with his surrogate mother, you might ask? Well, there were many things on their list, including but not limited to: multiple small cooking pots, instant noodles, cookies of many flavors, all sorts of dried food that could be prepared in a few minutes, a sleeping bag, firewood, bottled water, a new coat that was better suited for the type of environment they were going to (Korean winters were cold, but not **that** cold), a special cheeseburger backpack that could fit all sorts of objects in it, among lots and lots of objects that were less remarkable.

One object, despite being among the smallest, was the most important one by far: an inhaler, not unlike the ones used by people who have asthma. For all of his short life, Steven was plagued by breathing problems thanks to the diamond in his chest, which occupied a lot of space in his chest at the expense of his ribs and sternum (with the latter being nonexistant) and especially his lungs, which were smaller than they were supposed to and often scraped against his gem if he breathed in too depply, causing a lot of pain in the process.

The gemstone's cumbersome weight also caused him a lot of back pain and prevented the little hybrid from doing much exercise. Because of this, Pearl acquired the habit of watching Steven while he slept, to ensure that he had help in case he suffered from a sudden, severe asthma attack.

Thankfully, these problems began to steadily go away as the years passed, since Steven's body became more used to his gem and grew around it, giving his lungs more space to breathe in and out. This development walked hand-in-hand with Pearl's "shopping runs", which grew longer as she felt her presence while her quasi-son was asleep was becoming less necessary. Even then, however, she insisted on buying the inhaler for this specific occasion despite Steven's objection, stating that one could never be too careful, even if his breathing was much better now than it was several years ago.

By the time the cheeseburger backpack was fully loaded (although it looked ridiculous, it would prove itself to be pretty useful), it weighed almost a ton, and Pearl quipped that the boy was taking the house along with him in the mission. All they had to do now was say goodbye to Greg as soon as he came back home, and they would embark on their mission. While he didn't return from his job, the pair were busy watching random programs in the apartment's living room with a bored look on their faces.

Steven should've been excited, and he truly was, at least on the outside, but he was in reality extremely worried, not for himself, but for Pearl. As the closest thing he had to a mother, he loved her so much that it pained him to unwittingly force her to play along with a ridiculous charade that obviously hurt her internally just from thinking about it.

He wanted to tell her that she didn't have to do this. That he already knew she was no friend of the Crystal Gems. But that would mean that he would confess that he was spying on her and Dad while he was supposed to be asleep, violating the privacy of both of them. And that would lead to a confrontation that would be very painful for everyone involved.

 _But that pain can't be worse than what would happen if I let this lie grow and blow up in everyone's faces, right?_ Steven thought.

_But... this whole thing was Pearl's idea. What does she want with them if she hates Rose so much? What if I end up blowing it if I tell her right now?_

_There are at least four Crystal Gems around, and my overexcited, childish curiosity revealed us to them, and we're just two! Are we their hostages now? Is that our fate?_

_But hey, at least Amethyst seems rather nice, if a bit vulgar, and she seems to genuninely like Pearl to the point of giving her a little nickname. I didn't notice any mutual hostility, either._

Still, I could at least let Pearl know that we're in this together...

"Hey Pearl" the hybrid said, snapping his surrogate mother from her bored daze. "Yes, Steven?" she answered.

_No! What am I supposed to tell her now?!_

_Hey Pearl, sorry for knowingly forcing you to take pictures of you at your mortal enemy's side so I could satisfy my curiosity regarding the gems?_

_Sorry for spying on you and Dad, hearing things that I wasn't supposed to know at my age?_

_Sorry for pretending to be an oblivious brat whose personality changed in just a few days when I'm actually studying you guys as if you were a bunch of lab rats and not living people?!_

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Pearl said, clearly sensing the boy's internal conflict despite his act. She knew him that well.

"I-I, uh, I'm... really sorry. So, so sorry..." he stammered.

"Huh? Sorry for what, darling?" Pearl asked, moving her large bangs of hair to both sides and letting Steven see her eyes. She was concerned for him, and if such a gesture didn't show that enough, she put one of her hands on his shoulder.

"I... I..." _Come on! You can tell her! Just say the words, you know you can do it!_

"I... remember when you gave me that English lesson?" Steven began.

"Of course I do, but what was wrong with it?" Pearl asked.

"Nothing, there was nothing wrong with it or you. The problem... was me. I didn't pay as much attention to you as I should have, and I'm paying the price for that right now. When we went to Beach City, I couldn't read any of the signs. Had I only paid more attention to you that day, I would be a lot more comfortable there..."

_Damn it! Why can't I say it?!_

Oh, Steven... Please don't be so hard on yourself." Pearl said with her soft, kind voice. "Maybe you weren't on your best that day, but that's not your fault. We all have our ups and downs, and we can't avoid that." After saying these words, the former slave pulled her baby into a tight, warm embrace. It was moments like these that reminded her that, despite his intelligence, unusual characteristics and social reclusion, Steven was still a child, and always needed her and Greg's reassurance whenever he was feeling down, just like any other person did every now and then.

She couldn't know that he was already beating himself up.

_I'm such a coward... Oh Pearl, I hope you can forgive me..._

_But even if you don't, which is perfectly understandable, I promise you this: Once I manage to take care of myself and learn what's going on, I swear I'll find a way to bring Rose to justice! For you and Mom!_

\------------------

Meanwhile, in a stretch of beach right in front of the Crystal Gems' temple in Beach City...

Rose, Garnet and Pearl returned from their mission hours after the Universe family left, and most of the town's inhabitants were already asleep. Without anyone to interact with, Amethyst just stood around on the sand, enjoying the sea's salty breeze while waiting for her colleagues to arrive.

The pink haired leader was the first one to speak up. "Amethyst! I hope your decision not to come along with us paid off. Please tell us Steven came here while we were fixing the Lunar Sea Spire. If he didn't, then-"

"Hey hey hey, I'm glad to see you guys too," the purple gem interrupted, "and don't worry about me getting bored, I have a LOT to tell you guys about. Seriously."

"Hm? Is this 'Cookie Cat flavored burrito accident' seriously?" Pearl said with a smile.

"Ugh, of all the stuff you could remember about me, Pierogi, and you remeber **that**?" Amethyst said, clearly embarassed.

This time, it was Garnet's turn to speak. "To be fair, that was really funny," she said, snickering a bit before immediately straightening herself up, "but I'm sure that whatever you have to say is really important, especially if it concerns that boy and the pearl who follows him."

"Actually, it's the other way around, he follows her. But the story begins just after you guys left." Amethyst began.

By now, any sort of relaxed atmosphere had already vanished. Anything involving the likes of someone like Blue Diamond was really serious.

"Anyway, I felt like taking a trip to the Kindergarten right after you guys left. Just wanted to mope around there, I guess. Thing is, as soon as I warped there I heard someone crying and screaming as if she were, uh, I don't know, about to die or had finally gone full crazy, stuff like that. So I obviously began to look for whoever was doing all that racket."

The Crystal Gems were listening closely. What could someone be doing in the Kindergarten of all places?

"Turned out that the person doing all that happened to be Bloop--ahem, I mean, Blue Diamond's pearl."

"Wait, what? You gave her a nickname?!" Pearl asked.

"I swear, you guys will get everything after I'm finished. Anyway, she ran up to me as if I was the first person she had seen in a thousand years or such, and she was nothing like what Rose told us about. Seriously, she had this little clip that kept her hair from covering her eyes and was holding a freaking gauntlet-sword thing on her hand. But all it took her was one look at me for all her happiness to slip away, and she started acting like some snotty uppercrust even after I confessed that she looked pretty damn cool."

"Hmph. Of course she would." Garnet said, silently struggling not to clench her fists. Noticing her turmoil and hoping to comfort her, Rose put her hand on the fusion's left shoulder. And Amethyst continued.

"Long story short, I finally had enough of that idiot's crap and straight up said I didn't give a shit about what she said. I finished off saying that she seriously reminded me of a certain renegade, and that finally shut her up."

Everyone liked that.

"Thing is, we didn't have enough time to move on before we were attacked by a lot, and I mean a LOT of monsters that I've never seen before. They looked as if they were made out of gem shards glued together, it was awful."

Garnet cringed after hearing that. How could she not?

"I managed to slip away, but she obviously couldn't do what I did. I couldn't just leave her there, even if she had just acted like an asshole to me, so I saved her ass and we fought the freaks off pretty well to be honest. She's as good as P, but she had a grasp on what to do with her weird sword-things. The weirdo couldn't believe what she saw, and asked me why I did that. I replied that, well, even if she did act like a huge jerk to me, I couldn't just leave her to die in there. That was enough for her to finally apologize and admit that she was wrong about me."

The listeners' eyes were wide open. This was just ridiculous.

"Wait a minute, I get you giving her a nickname after all that happened, but you still didn't tell us what she was doing there. And 'Bloop'?" Pearl asked.

"I did ask her, and all she said was that she 'needed to help a friend', whatever that meant, but she did swear she would tell us later. As for the other question, would you rather I kept calling her 'Blue Pearl'"?

"Her opinion of you completely changed in such a small amount of time? I have trouble believing that. And all of that just one day before she took Steven here?" Garnet asked.

"Well, I can't retell you guys everything in perfect detail, but at least she apologized," Amethyst shrugged, "and she didn't only take the kid with her that day, there was also this old bearded dude who came along, he was definitely the little guy's dad. Uh, what was his name again? Greg Universe? I don't think that's his real name, but he's really chill."

"Wait a minute," now it was Rose's turn to act completely surprised, "Greg Universe? As in Mr. Universe, the singer?"

"I don't know about him singing, but he did know a thing or two about music. Hang on, what?"

The leader of the Crystal Gems was at the center of attention.

"Oh, it's just that a young man with that exact same surname came here a decade or so ago, and performed what I guess was a show, if that's how humans still call that. I was the only one who watched him do it, and he even gave me a shirt as some sort of souvenir before leaving for a place called Empire City."

"Do you think it's the same guy? He didn't talk to me much." Amethyst asked.

"Hopefully it's just a coincidence, we really don't need any more awkwardness. But, moving on, how was the rest of the day? You said our new 'friend' brought Steven and his father along with her, right? How did they treat each other, and most importantly, what was **he** like without me around?"

"Honestly, if it weren't for all the gem stuff, they would just be a bunch of tourists: Bloop's the mom, Greg's the dad, and Steven is like their son, I guess. The two later told me that Blue Diamond's no longer around since she gave up her physical form to give birth to the kid or something like that."

A collective sigh of relief. That's one very powerful potential enemy off the equation.

"That means he definitely has her gem. Does he have any powers that you know of?" Pearl asked.

"Oh boy, when I asked that question I seriously thought I blew it." Amethyst said while pinching the bridge of her nose. "He said that all he knew what to do was make people cry, and that was it. Greg cringed, and Bloop glared daggers at me. That only lasted like a second or two though, since he shouted out of nowhere that he had learned how to control water shortly before he came here, and even made a little floating ball from a puddle near us."

This piece information of shocked the very core of the three senior Crystal Gems.

"The good news is, he really likes us, and couldn't stop asking me questions about gem stuff like if each one of us has our own weapon, what we can do and stuff like that. Bloop even had to stop him a couple of times because he couldn't stop talking."

"And?" Garnet asked.

"And that's it, the rest of the day was pretty boring since all I did was show everyone around in here, tellin' them what's what. As for Steven, I promised him that we would take him on our next mission on the north and that we would train him. He really, really liked that, there were even little stars on his eyes."

"You can't be serious!" Pearl began. "You learn that he has two abilities that could be really dangerous, and you decide that he should come along with us?!"

"Well, what? We're gonna have to deal with him in person sometime." Amethyst retorted.

"You were right in making that promise, Amethyst. We will train him." Rose said.

"What?!" Pearl and Garnet said at the same time.

"You are our leader and no doubt much wiser than all of us, but still, are you sure this is a good idea?" the fusion asked.

"We don't have a choice." the pink haired woman said flatly.

"71% of this planet's surface is covered in water. A lapis lazuli could easily take advantage of that, and this 'Steven' person is a Diamond! We can't possibly know what he could be capable of! What if he finds out that all of the Earth's organic lifeforms are made out of water?" Pearl said, trying her best not to go completely off the rails.

"And that is exactly why we need to take advantage of the fact that he likes us! If we don't, who knows what could happen if, Stars forbid, Steven fell into Homeworld's clutches, or if he found out about the war too soon? It's a risk we'll have to take." Rose concluded.

"There's no turning back now," Garnet said, " thanks to Amethyst's information, I can now predict with enough accuracy what 'Steven' and his pearl are going to do, and they're already on their way here. Prepare yourselves for many questions, because here they come!"

As soon as she finished saying her words, the temple's warp pad emitted a bright light. Steven and 'Bloop' had arrived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a consequence of his social isolation, this Steven is more calculating than the canon one, but he still loves his family very much. He hates having to put Bloop through the pain of pretending to be a Crystal Gem when he secretly knows that's not the case, but he's full of doubts and feels like he doesn't have a choice, since they're outnumbered two-to-one.
> 
> All he can do for now is investigate. At least Amethyst seems pretty nice, if a bit too vulgar.
> 
> Comments are much appreciated.


	7. Searching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and Pearl meet the last two Crystal Gems, Garnet and (their) Pearl. After some questions, they finally embark on their first mission together with Rose Quartz and her companions.
> 
> Though everyone tries their hardest to keep the lie that they are all good friends, there are many tensions beneath the surface.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry to keep you all waiting, I hope this chapter is worth it!
> 
> To avoid any confusion, I'll call the Pearl we all know and love as "Star Pearl" or (other) Pearl in the situations where she and Bloop are together.
> 
> Also, special thanks to the kind anon who pointed out my spelling mistakes in chapter 3! English isn't my first language, so any help is much appreciated.
> 
> Once again, please tell me if anyone's behavior here (especially Garnet) seems OOC.

\------------------

Though he had traveled to Beach City twice already, Steven still wasn't used to the sensation of floating around in the warp stream (worsened by the fact that the cheeseburger backpack he was carrying was loaded with a good amount of supplies, although Pearl stored the heaviest equipment in her gem), and was even less used to the vast difference in time zones between Korea and the United States. He and Pearl departed their home after the sun had set and, just like last time, were greeted with its blinding light immediately after reaching their destination. Once the pair's eyes adjusted to the bright environment, they noticed Rose, Amethyst and two other Crystal Gems Steven didn't know chatting with each other on the beach outside, obviously waiting for their arrival.

Maybe they were planning something... or perhaps they were indeed just chatting. Amethyst did say the other were gone for a few days. No matter what the star themed group was truly doing, Steven knew above all else that he had to keep it cool: if he lost his nerve and started a confrontation between his family and these people (who, if Pearl's words to Greg were accurate, were very dangerous criminals even if Rose and Amethyst seemed pretty nice) they would surely lose, and Pearl would without a doubt suffer the most from something like that. He would never forgive himself if such an event came to pass.

He wasn't strong enough to help her yet, he knew that too well, but once he finally gained complete control over his innate gem abilities, it would be another story. This was why pretending to be an oblivious, stupid kid was so important. If he convinced Rose or one of her friends to train him...

May God have mercy on anyone who dared to hurt his loved ones.

"So this is it, isn't it? Your first mission..." Pearl said, her soft voice snapping the boy out of his thoughts.

"Yeah," he responded. "You know, I was really excited when Amethyst promised that we would help them hunt a monster and all that, but now that we're about to leave, I can't help but feel a bit nervous..."

Upon hearing that, the former servant quickly knelt down to the little hybrid's height and swept her hair to the side, exposing her lovely blue eyes that were staring straight at Steven's. "Steven, I would be lying to you if I said that this couldn't get very dangerous really fast. Not only there are horrible monsters involved, it's been such a long time since I last worked with Rose and everyone else that we might end up getting a few arguments. But there is one thing that I want you to hear loud and clear: I'll be there for you, no matter what happens. You understand that, honey?"

No verbal response was necessary, since the hybrid quickly pulled his mother figure into a very tight, warm hug of the type that only people who were really close to him knew of.

"Now, I'm sure they're all just waiting for us to show up on that beach, so how about you go down there and give them a big hello? Garnet and... their Pearl are also there, and I'm sure they would like to see you too. I'll wait for you guys right here, next to the warp pad." Pearl said while playfully ruffling her quasi-son's hair.

"Alright, alright, I will." Steven said while trying to correct his puffy hair. After that, he did as he was told and walked into the beach, waving to the four Crystal Gems who quickly noticed him moving towards them and Pearl inside the temple. "Rose! Amethyst! Hey everyone!"

 _So Pearl doesn't want to see all four of them at the same time... At least she feels more comfortable now._ He thought to himself.

"Steven!" Rose was the first to respond, walking (or floating? Her footsteps were so silent...) to him until he was right in front of her. "Are you alright? Where's your pea--friend?"

 _Huh? Why did she correct herself?_ The boy thought. "Pearl's at the temple, waiting for us near the warp pad while I talk with you guys."

"Oh, I see. Pearl! Garnet! He's here!" The leader shouted at the two gems who had those names, both of whom were watching from a safe distance until they were called. Steven noticed that.

"Yo, Ste-man!" Amethyst greeted in her laid back manner. "You semm pretty chill today, how's Bloop?"

"Hey, Amethyst," he replied pointing at the multi-armed statue, "she's waiting at the temple."

"Pft, I'm surprised she's doing that. Last time you guys were here she was stuck to you like glue, heh. So, you excited for the mission or what?"

"You bet I am!" Steven said with stars in his eyes.

"Ha! That's the little guy I know and love!"

 _Oh for the love of God, don't call me little! Keep it cool, keep it cool..._ His smile did not waver, despite the quick flash of anger. He **was** excited for the mission, after all.

By the time their little chat was over, (other) Pearl and Garnet had arrived.

"Here he is!" Rose said to her two colleagues.

"...Oh. So you're the 'Steven' I was told about?" (other) Pearl, who looked way too similar to the one he lived with, with a pointy nose and an unnaturally thin body, said with a slight hint of annoyance. She was either unimpressed with or wary of him, Steven couldn't know. What mattered was that she definitely didn't look anywhere near as friendly as Rose and Amethyst. Her narrow eyes and overall appearance reminded the hybrid of a falcon, a precise, nimble bird of prey who could do a lot of damage despite being light and fragile.

Still, no matter how intimidated he was, he had to keep up his act. "Yes, ma'am! I'm Steven Diamond Universe, and I'm pleased to meet you!" he cheerfully said while extending his left arm for a handshake.

"Uh... what are you doing?" And just like that, (other) Pearl's intimidating aura was gone, even if just for a moment. Amethyst struggled to hold back her laughter, as did Rose.

"What am I supposed to do?" The perplexed renegade asked.

"You're kidding right now, aren't you, P? You don't know what a handshake is?" Her purple friend answered with another question.

"A what now?"

"When someone like Steven over here extends his hand like he's doing right now, you do the same thing and grab it. It's a sign of friendship and stuff."

(other) Pearl awkwardly extended her right arm and simply grabbed the hybrid's hand as if it were some strange, foreign object, and very visibly flinched as if she had touched something really dirty. It was obvious that, first, she was a germaphobe, and second, she had never done something like this before.

Amethyst erupted in guffaws. The terrifying renegade pearl who single handedly defeated countless monsters and enemy soldiers couldn't do something as simple as shaking a hand? How could she not laugh?

It was Rose who finally put an end to this hilarious situation. "Pearl, you're supposed to extend your other hand, like this!"

After saying those words, she took her subordinate's left hand and guided it to Steven's, who, surprised that someone could be even more socially incompetent than he was, eagerly grabbed and shook it.

"Well, that was embarassing. Anyway, my name is Pearl, and I am also pleased to meet you." (other) Pearl said, trying to (and succeeding, in Steven's eyes) recover her serious and even fearsome aura. Even then, Amethyst still snickered behind her back.

But if the boy thought that (other) Pearl was intimidating enough...

"Ahem." Garnet said with a calm, straight voice, appearing into Steven's field of view. She didn't seem so intimidating from far away, but once he was right next to her? She was by far the most imposing of all of the Crystal Gems. Though she was tall, that wasn't what made her stand out. It was the fact that her eyes were covered by a visor that made her expressions and emotions almost completely unreadable. She seemed like a living statue.

"Garnet." she said flatly.

"Huh?"

"I am Garnet. Understood?" she completed in her monotone voice.

"Y-yes ma'am! And my name is-"

"Steven. I know." And with that, the tall woman with a cubic afro hairdo was finished.

Actually, forget the thing about the visor. The scariest thing about Garnet was the fact that every single word that came out of her mouth dripped with barely contained hostility. Clearly, she was the Crystal Gem who despised Pearl and Blue Diamond the most. Had Steven known who she truly was, as well as what she had been through, he wouldn't blame her for her behavior, nor would he be so afraid. But he obviously didn't.

Despite, or perhaps because of that, the boy wondered why she was like this. He swore to himself not to judge her until he got to the bottom of this.

"Now that Steven finally knows all of us personally, it is time to leave. We have a mission to fulfill." Rose said, her tone now serious and authoritative. With her command given, all three subordinates and their extra companion walked into the temple and were greeted by Pearl, who was lounging about next to a strange door decorated by gemstones.

"Hello everyone." she said in her soft voice.

"Hello."

"Hey Bloop."

"Greetings."

"Hey Pearl!"

"..."

An uneasy, tense atmosphere reigned over the room, and it only became worse once the group, composed of five full gems and one hybrid, clustered together over the smooth surface of the warp pad.

"Now, before we all leave," Rose began, still serious, "I would like to remind you all of what we are supposed to do. We are going to the Great North, and our objective is to track down a gem monster that has been rampaging somewhere in that region, nothing more and nothing less. Any questions?"

"Wait! I almost forgot to put on my coat!" Steven exclaimed, remembering that he was still wearing his navy blue shirt with nothing over it even though he already had the right pants on. After fumbling with his cheeseburger backpack for a few seconds (something that made (other) Pearl raise an eyebrow), the hybrid pulled out a heavy looking, bright yellow thermal coat that was perfect for the kind of environment he was going into, as well as a blue knit cap to protect his head from the cold.

"Anything else?" Rose asked again.

No response.

"Good."

And with that, the group disappeared in a very literal flash.

\------------------

Mere seconds later, another warp pad, thousands of kilometers away, emitted a bright light and soon enough five very different women and one child were standing on it.

Steven was awed at the scenery. Just a moment ago, he was on a beach that he was already quite used to. Now, he was standing in the middle of a vast wilderness that was dominated by snow and an endless number of trees everywhere he could see. And as if that weren't enough, there was a large structure with strange lines and a large hole in the middle that was definitely artificial.

"Wow! what is **that**?" The hybrid asked with stars in his eyes.

"Oh, that old rock behind us? It's called a Wailing Stone. We gems used it long ago." Rose answered, her tone now recovering some of the kindness Steven was used to.

"Wait, it... wails? As in screaming? And by a long time ago you mean thousands of years, right?"

"I honestly never understood the name," Pearl said before the leader of the Crystal Gems could respond, earning a side glance from (other) Pearl while Garnet stood silent, "they just transmitted our words. It's not that different from radio."

"...And yes, we used them thousands of years ago." Rose completed.

"What are you getting out of your weird backpack now, kid? That thing looks like it weighs a ton and it's probably bigger than you." Amethyst asked, and everyone was internally relieved at the change in subject.

 _No, I'm just too small and you really don't need to remind me_. "Oh, I'm getting my notebook and a pencil! I just HAVE to write a poem about this, everything looks so beautiful out here!"

"Don't forget what we're supposed to do. Things can go from pleasant to horrific in a split second." (other) Pearl reminded the boy while watching him and the surrounding area like a hawk.

"Indeed. And it's nothing we can't handle." Pearl stepped up in her son's defense.

"A blizzard is on its way here. We should get going." Garnet said after looking at the surroundings.

 _I don't see anything wrong right now... Does she know this place that well, or does this have to do with her special ability that I don't know yet?_ The hybrid thought.

"Of course. And we have a job to do, after all. Now everyone move out!" Rose ordered, and everyone duly obeyed, setting off into the beautiful landscape ahead of them.

Well, at least it seemed beautiful before the marching began.

The next hours were dominated by an exhausting, arduous hike. Not only the had group already covered a considerable distance, but the snow was also very deep and considerably soft in some places, making the walk all the more unpleasant for the little hybrid, who took no time to notice that none of the people around him were fazed either by the snow or the cold.

God, he felt pathetic.

The gems were also arrayed in an unusual formation: Rose led the way while Amethyst stayed right at Steven and Pearl's side, and Garnet and (other) Pearl guarded the rear. The leader of the Crystal Gems argued that this was the best way to ensure that everyone was safe, and the soft spoken, blue skinned former slave agreed. Amethyst didn't (she thought they should split up to cover more ground) but she was politely (and condescendingly) overruled her superiors, much to her displeasure.

Pearl, despite agreeing with this idea and explaining it to her son, obviously knew that wasn't the case and understood its true purpose right from the get go. She couldn't help but respect Rose's tactics, even if this was much easier than commanding an army: by staying at the front, she reminded everyone of who the leader was. Amethyst, by staying at her and Steven's side, made both of them more comfortable, since she was by far the most friendly of the Crystal Gems thanks to the fact that she didn't fight in the war. Finally, (other) Pearl and Garnet, as the more skeptical and wary of the four, ensured that no one did anything funny behind Rose's back.

Pearl knew she wasn't the one they saw as a threat, since she had no fighting experience to speak of compared to them. No, the one they were truly afraid of was Steven, and that made her really angry on the inside. Didn't they know that he was just a harmless child despite having her deceased Diamond's gem, and most important of all, were they seriously blind to the fact that he was completely wrapped around Rose's fingers? If it weren't for the need to destroy the threat posed by the Cluster, she would never have had the idea to create this ridiculous charade. At least Amethyst made this a lot more bearable, thank the Stars for that.

"Ugh, this just isn't working. I know that having us stick together like this makes sure nobody gets left behind and stuff, but we've been walking around for like five hours straight, that blizzard Garnet warned us about is almost here and we've got nothing to show for it!" A bored Amethyst said while pointing at the increasingly dark and cloudy sky.

"We're going in the right direction, I can sense it." Garnet said.

"Even then, perhaps we could separate ourselves into two teams of three. That way, we could cover twice as much ground than we currently are **and** not be completely defenseless in case of a surprise attack." (other) Pearl suggested, the short purple gem smirking at her in response.

Rose listened to her subordinates attentively.

"Hmm, it's getting dark, so if we're going to split up we're going to need to communicate with each other somehow, especially if one of us finds our target. What do you say, Rose?" The calm and collected dark-skinned gem completed.

"Aren't we forgetting **someone** here?" Pearl said, interrupting the conversation. "We're not going anywhere until Steven gets some sleep. He's completely exhausted."

"I'm fine, I can *yawn* do this..." The hybrid weakly protested, ready to collapse on the ground. No matter what happened, he couldn't fall asleep. He knew that the only reason the Crystal Gems were pretending to be so friendly was because of him. What could they do once he fell into a deep slumber? What would they do to Pearl? She was completely outnumbered and outgunned, there was no way she could get away if they decided to hurt her! Even if he was awake, there was nothing he could do to stop them.

"You've been awake without so much as a nap for more than fifteen hours straight and walking with almost no rest for at least five of them! You're lucky your lungs aren't hurting and coughing out of exhaustion! You're going to sleep, and that's final." The motherly woman said with a stern voice, scolding the boy.

"Too dangerous... What... about the monster? Garnet said we're close..." he muttered weakly.

"Oh, my sweetheart..." Pearl said with a motherly tone while cradling his soft, chubby cute face with her hands, "Gems don't need to sleep, remember? Never forget what I said to you back on the temple, too, for I'll watch over you just like I always have."

"...Alright." The boy said.

"It's decided, then!" Pearl stood back up with renewed energy, "We'll stay here for the next eight hours or so until Steven wakes up."

"Excuse me, now? Who decided that?" (other) Pearl said while crossing her arms. Since when did someone who could very well still be an enemy think she could just boss the Crystal Gems around?

"Very well then. We'll patrol and guard the surrounding area while Steven sleeps. Do you need any help building a shelter for him?" Rose asked, earning a surprised look from (other) Pearl and no visible reaction from Garnet.

"No, I purchased a tent back in Korea that should be easy enough to set up, and Steven has a sleeping bag in his backpack."

"Hey, you really don't need any help, Bloop? I don't think this snow is gonna stop anytime soon." Amethyst said.

"Well, since you two are being so generous to me..." Pearl shrugged.

It only took a few minutes for the three gems to set up the small, two person camping tent. The latter covered the floor with multiple thick blankets to ensure that its eventual occupant didn't lose any of his precious warmth to the ground. They finished the job just in time too, since the snow was beginning to get thicker with each passing second. Now all that was left was for Steven to get in there and get some sleep, a task that fell to him (obviously) and Pearl.

It wasn't as easy as it seemed. Despite his exhaustion, the fact that the sun had long since vanished among the clouds and eventually the horizon, as well his mother figure's soothing words, the idea of being so vulnerable in such a dangerous place, and with a giant monster running around somewhere close, absolutely terrified him. And he still thought about what the Crystal Gems could do to Pearl once he was no longer around.

"I'm afraid, Pearl..." he said right after zipping up his sleeping bag.

"My darling, it's fine. I promise you, everything will get better once you wake up after a good night's sleep. The sun will shine again, and we will press on with our mission. Good night." The blue gem said after kissing the hybrid's forehead.

"I love you." He said.

"I love you too, Steven. I love you more than anything else in the universe."

A few minutes later, the restless boy finally surrendered to the need for sleep, closing his eyes and dozing off. Satisfied, Pearl left her son alone in the tent, intending to spend the next hours guarding him from whatever danger the forest could bring. She hoped Steven would have a long, pleasant dream.

Once she was a few meters away from the tent (and out of earshot), Rose, who had been watching over the pair with Amethyst from a distance while (other) Pearl and Garnet were farther away, finally decided that the time was right for her to have an honest conversation with the woman who was supposed to be one of her worst enemies.

Approaching from the side, she asked. "So? Is he finally sleeping?"

"Indeed he is, at last." Came the answer.

"Good. So now that he's been taken care of for the moment..." Rose said while Garnet, (other) Pearl and Amethyst slowly walked toward the blue gem from different directions, cutting off any potential escape routes.

"... It's about time you answered a few questions for us, don't you think?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Steven values the well being of his family more far more than his own. That's not really healthy, is it?
> 
> Oh, and he's also a bit like Edward Elric, I guess, the big difference being that he doesn't explode whenever he's called short.  
> He's not a genius either.


	8. Perspective is Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven has a really weird dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how do I explain this? My original plan was to write a chapter focused on Bloop's long anticipated conversation with the Crystal Gems, but then I stumbled upon a piece of art drawn by a Tumblr artist named Cnv99 and I just HAD to write something that had to do with it!
> 
> Because of that, this chapter is a bit short when compared to the others, but I hope it has enough juice to keep you guys interested.

\------------------

"Ugh... hey, what the... Ngh!"

A few hours after surrendering to fatigue and closing his eyes for good, Steven suddenly woke up with a tremendous pain on his head, the type of which people get when they lie on a hard surface for too long. It didn't help that his mind was still sluggish and his eyesight way too blurry. Was that sleeping bag made out of concrete or something? Pearl checked and even made him put it on multiple times before the mission just to make sure it was smooth, warm and fluffy, and it was worth it. Was the boy so tired thanks to his journey that he put it wrong?

Impossible, Pearl would've noticed that and tried to compensate with an extra blanket or pillow, so what could be the reason? Was the weather outside the tent so bad that it lowered the temperature within, forcing his young body to wake up before it was supposed to? The slowly receding headache said yes, but the lack of a runny nose, perfectly functional lungs and the fact he wasn's shaking at all told another story.

So what in the world was going on? He was coming back to consciousness far too slowly for his needs. He had to check up on Pearl! How was she?

Hoping to stimulate his senses and at least diminish the migraine, the half gem began to massage both sides of his head at the same time, feeling long, silky strands of hair passing between his oddly slender fingers. This was strange, since his hair wasn't supposed to be so long, nor his fingers so thin.

... Wait a minute.

"Where in the world am I?!" Steven screamed in an unusually low pitched voice to no one in particular while jumping to his feet. He wasn't inside the tent. Panic began to set in. Did he get kidnapped by the Crystal Gems? What about Pearl? Were they hurting her?

He had to get out of here NOW!

"Wait! Before I go completely off the rails, I need to at least figure out where I am." The hybrid thought out loud. He had to keep it cool, this whole thing with Rose and her underlings started because he couldn't keep his emotions under control.

"Alright," he began, hoping to calm down by hearing his own words out loud, "so let's see, first I woke up in a weird room, so what's next? What was I sleeping on?" Steven said as he turned around and saw a throne. "Wait, I slept **there**?"

_Why is my voice so deep?_

He inspected the seat closely. Its design was rather simple but quite elegant, being completely blue and dominated by sharp straight lines that were obviously crafted with great care. However, it was clearly not meant to be a sleeping spot, as shown by the absense of any cushions, so Steven's rude awakening wasn't surprising at all. In a few seconds, fear gave way to curiosity, but not before the hybrid noticed some strange things as he extended his left hand to figure out if the throne was as solid as it looked.

"Hang on a second, why does my hand look so weird? Actually, why does my arm look so long?" His body obviously deserved a much closer inspection than the throne did, and everything about it shocked him. "When did I get so stretchy and skinny? And why do I sound like this, did I have a growth spurt overnight or something?!"

What surprised the hybrid the most, by far, was his gem. Since when did it look and feel so small and light in his chest? For all his life, he had to deal with all sorts of uncomfortable, painful and sometimes life threatening issues because of its cumbersome weight and size when compared to the rest of his body. Now it felt like it wasn't even there!

His clothes also changed, with the humble outfit he was used to (a plain navy blue shirt with a yellow star in the middle, jeans and flip flops) being replaced by a far more flamboyant long sleeved coat with a richly decorated collar and wrists, a pair of pants that looked quite plain in comparison and finally two shoes that didn't have laces. Said attire was, predictably, entirely blue. Overall, it was a lot fancier than what he was accustomed to, but it was comfortable and he would get used to it soon enough.

He couldn't really explain it, but this outfit... suited him, somehow. Almost as if it was something he should've started wearing a long time ago. He liked it.

"Aw, I'm almost a bit disappointed now. I wish I had a mirror to look at, I probably look great!"

"Great is an understatement, my darling. You look **magnificent**." A lovely and familiar voice said in a tone that felt like music to the hybrid's ears.

"Pearl? Pearl! Where are you?" Steven cried out while turning around frantically. Despite his best efforts, however, he couldn't see her. Was he losing his mind?

"Down here."

 _Oh, thank goodness!_ Steven thought as he looked down. _I can see her, and she's right next to my... foot? WHAT?!_

"Oh my God Pearl, what happened to you?! Why are you so small?!" He shouted in a mix of amazement and fear before kneeling down to get a better look at her. The adorable little mother figure just gave him the same warm smile he loved so much. He was so used to looking up to her and pretty much everyone else for his entire life that seeing someone who meant so much to him like this, so small, so cute, so precious, so fragile... It gave him a strange feeling.

Fragile. Oh no, she could easily get hurt! He had to keep her safe!

Rational thoughts giving way to a fierce protective instinct, Steven grabbed Pearl with such great care that it looked as if she was the single most precious object in the universe. Once she was safely cradled in his hands, he brought her close to his face. He almost snuggled the little blue gem against one of his cheeks, but she was so small...

_I don't get it. Why does it feel so good to be like this?_

"So... What happened to you?" He asked.

"Nothing." Came the answer.

"Pearl, please."

"Does it matter?".

"Of course it does!"

"Just like I said, nothing happened to me." The little gem giggled. "Oh Steven, you've grown so much... I still remember when you were just a little baby. Things have changed a lot, haven't they?"

"Wait, so you're fine? I... I grew?"

 _Oh yes. Oh YES!_ A little voice echoed in the hybrid's head. Ever since before Greg caught him shapeshifting to look more like his mother, he always wanted to be like this.

**But first things first.**

"B-but what... what about everybody else? What about Dad, Rose and the others? What are they going to say? W-what if I hurt them? If they're all as little as you are then-"

"Steven, please. Do I look hurt to you?" Pearl interrupted him with a slight hint of annoyance.

"Well, no but-"

"You worry about us too much, My Diamond. You kept us nice, safe and snug, just like you are keeping me right now. How do YOU feel?"

"I kept you guys safe? You're all okay?" He asked once again with a growing smile on his face. Wait, since when did Pearl call him 'My Diamond'?

"I already gave you the answer. What about you?"

 _How do I feel, you ask? I feel wonderful! Everyone is safe and, to top it all off, I'm as tall as I always wanted to be! How could I not be ecstatic?_ He wanted to say.

"I won't lie, this feels kind of nice." The understatement of the century. "But I'm still curious. What happened to me?"

"I'll tell you everything you want, My Diamond. But before I do so, how about you go back to your throne?" 'My Diamond'... somehow, Steven didn't feel like these words bothered him anymore. Actually, he was proud of being addressed like that.

Taking his eyes off Pearl after a few minutes that felt like hours, Steven glanced at the throne he woke up in. It still stood there, as blue and sharp looking as ever, but something about it was different now. He approached the seat slowly and with mounting confidence, like an emperor about to be crowned, no longer paying attention to his surroundings but only thinking about he much he loved to be like this. Everyone was okay, so what was the problem?

"Well?" Pearl asked in a strangely... seductive voice? Or was that his own mind speaking to him? "Will you sit on it or what? It's yours, it's only natural for you to do so."

He did, and **by God** it was the best sensation he felt in his entire life. The throne was such a perfect fit, it was obvious that whoever made this thing made it exactly for him! Everything about this whole situation was so right, so good, so completely perfect!

This was what he truly wanted. To tower above all those who once looked down upon him, and to use the immense powers he surely had to protect the people he loved. Actually, enough with the understatements, he DESERVED every single bit of this!

"Now, Pearl..." Steven said with a domineering tone that he didn't notice. She didn't mind it, either. Everything was exactly as it was supposed to be.

"Tell me what you have to say."

"Of course I will, My Diamond!" The tiny figure, once so inspiring and motherly but now pathetically small and weak next to him, was more than happy to comply. And so she began, going on and on. The gigantic hybrid eagerly listened to her story and all of its details, from the time he first met Rose and the Crystal Gems until he finally embraced who he really was, along with the consequences of that fateful decision.

He would forget everything the moment he groggily opened his eyes and realized that he was still in the tent that Pearl, Amethyst and Rose made for him.

\------------------

"Ugh... what happened last night?"

"Steven! You're awake!" A familiar, strong and confident Pearl said as she peeked through the door.

"Pearl! Are you *yaaawn* okay?" The cute little boy asked.

"Yes I am, darling! How are you?" She answered.

"*yawn* I'm fine, just had a weird dream last night."

Concerned, the motherly blue gem approached her tiny son and kneeled down to speak to him more closely. "A dream? You didn't have a nightmare, did you, my baby?"

"No... I don't remember a thing, actually." He answered. "Eh, whatever, it was just a dream anyway. What are we gonna have for breakfast?"

And so began a new day.

\------------------

**Author's Note** : Below is the piece of fanart that inspired me to write this chapter. [All credit goes to Cnv99](https://cnv99.tumblr.com/), she's a wonderful artist who has plenty of good quality Blueswap fanart and other things in her blog. In fact, she even drew some comics that had to do with Crystal Clarity, one of the main inspirations for this fanfic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TL, DR: Steven has a dream that turns into a power trip.
> 
> Have I already mentioned to you guys how much Steven hates being short? I think I have. Combine that with his desire to keep his family safe at all costs, and dreams like this one are a very likely result.
> 
> EDIT: Also, if I remember correctly gems are sort of like sentient computers that are programmed to do specific purposes. Since Steven's gem is a Diamond, it's no wonder there's a hidden part of him that just adores being large and in charge.


	9. Finding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Steven sleeping inside the tent, Pearl finally has a straight, honest conversation with the Crystal Gems, and it becomes obvious that both sides have a lot to learn from each other.
> 
> Hours later, the group finally comes face to face with the monster they were looking for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's an action scene near the end, I hope it's worth something. I feel like I'm better at writing longer, slower stories and conversations rather than fast scenes that happen in seconds.
> 
> The first half of this chapter takes place while Steven's asleep. The second half happens after he wakes up.

\------------------

Pearl couldn't help but laugh at her predicament. They weren't taking any chances with her, and she honestly couldn't blame them.

"Really?" She began with a smirk, "You see me, a humble pearl, as a threat so great you feel the need to surround me like this?"

"Well, what can I say?" Rose countered, "How could I underestimate someone like you when the very reason why that could be a very bad idea is standing right at my side?" She finished while briefly glancing at (other) Pearl, who just smugly smiled in response.

 _Those two are just inseparable, aren't they?_ Pearl thought, rolling her eyes internally. "I was hoping to have this kind of conversation after our relations improved somewhat, but I don't have a choice in this, do I?"

"Quit stalling, Bloop, and tell us about who this 'friend' you helped in my home already. You did promise you would after I showed you how awesome I am." An impatient but still somewhat comedic Amethyst said. She might be the friendliest of them all, but she still had no patience for any kind of duplicity, and Pearl liked that. "And I'll be honest, you don't look half as cool as you did back then. You don't even have your little hairclip!" She finished.

"Most importantly, why did you start this little charade, and what does Homeworld want with this planet?" (other) Pearl asked.

"I will explain everything to all of you, but first I must provide you with some context."

The blue gem began, and tried her hardest to be as polite as possible. "After Rose... did her deed, My Diamond fell into a deep depression and became a sorry shell of her former self."

"It's not really fun when the person getting shattered is someone you love, is it?" Garnet muttered very silently.

"What was that?" Pearl slightly raised her voice. She was clearly still very loyal to her late owner, or so she thought.

"Nothing. Go on."

"Anyway, she spent the following thousands of years traveling from Homeworld to the Human Zoo and from there to the place where everything happened over and over. No matter how much she tried, she just couldn't stop grieving, and I always stood by her side, feeling every single bit of her pain and hearing how much she should've done more when she was able to many, many times."

 _Yikes, that's just awful._ Amethyst thought.

"Then, on that fateful day eighteen years ago, a wandering musician named Greg Universe stumbled upon us while we were on this planet. Intrigued at how humans could thrive in the same place where someone as mighty as a Diamond perished, My Diamond began a conversation with before grabbing him like a small doll and then trying to take him to the Zoo where he could be preserved as one last piece of Pink's legacy. Thankfully, Greg talked her out of it, and as time went on the two began a relationship."

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, how tall was she again? Because if she could just grab the guy like he was a toy or something, how did they, uh... you know, do **that**?" Amethyst asked without a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

Pearl just groaned loudly and pinched the bridge of her nose in response.

"Oh my Stars Amethyst, you did **not** just say that!" An embarrassed and blushing Rose said. Garnet and (other) Pearl just stood silent and unsure of what to do, since they had no idea what the others were talking about.

"Hey, I'm serious! They had to do it, they had a kid!" The short purple gem defended herself.

"*Ahem*, she was taller than the trees that surround us. As for the second question, I often ask it myself since I have absolutely no idea how it could've happened even after reading some books regarding human anatomy. Now, moving back to the main topic, the next following years were very strange for me, since I honestly don't think I had ever seen My Diamond so happy before, even before the war. They talked about so many different things together, they clearly loved each other very much. Greg even encouraged her to take a few, uh, what's the name for those activities people do to pass the time again? Hobbies? I think that's the right word. She loved to play videogames."

"Hold on. That old guy who came along with you and Steven managed to turn a space dictator into a gamer? Really?" Amethyst asked, impressed.

 _So this is the kind of person a Diamond can be when she's not busy destroying worlds..._ Garnet thought.

"It's not like she did any ruling at all anymore, and besides, he was much younger and more handsome back then." Pearl said before finishing her story, "Then, ten years ago, My Diamond decided that she wanted a baby, and Steven is the result of that desire. Since they couldn't both exist at the same time, she sacrificed her physical form to have him. Now, any questions?"

"Tell us why you chose to act the way you did when you saw me. Is it because you don't want him to know about the war?" Rose asked.

"He's too young to learn about that just yet, and My Diamond wished for him to live as normal a life as possible. But I also have a much more urgent reason. You see, centuries after the war, the Diamonds decided that Earth just could not be allowed to exist, and they took measures to ensure that this planet was erased from the universe."

This was really serious. "Go on."

The blue gem's tone became increasingly distressed. "They created a geoweapon called the Cluster. It is a massive forced fusion made out of millions of shards from shattered Crystal Gems. It has been incubating inside the Earth's core for millenia now, and once it takes form, the entire planet will be destroyed. I strongly believe that My Diamond intended to die with with it, but I digress. Those monsters that attacked me and Amethyst in the Kindergarten? They were prototypes, and if they're already emerging then we have no time to waste!"

The four listeners couldn't handle this kind of information in one go, especially Garnet.

"Millions of shards... forced to fuse? **Millions?!** How dare they!" She wanted to scream out of sadness and rage, this was just too much for her. Still stunned but aware that their usually stoic comrade desperately needed some comfort before she literally fell apart, Rose, (other) Pearl and Amethyst quickly gave her a very tight group hug. Many tears were shed while the blue gem waited for her turn to speak, but she wouldn't get it.

"We need a drill." (other) Pearl said confidently after letting go of Garnet. "We build it, dig into the center of the Earth and destroy the Cluster. And I can help you with that."

"Do you know anything about designing a machine as complex as that?" Pearl asked without a hint of sarcasm. She was genuinely intrigued.

"I'm not a peridot, but I know more than enough about human technology and what can be done with it. It'll have to do." Came the reply.

"Thank you so much!" Pearl said before almost hugging her startled rebel counterpart, stopping herself at the last second. "We aren't friendly enough for me to perform such a gesture yet, my apologies."

"Eeeeeeeeh... yes." (other) Pearl said awkwardly while Amethyst just giggled. This awkwardness did much to deescalate the situation, and Garnet once again seemed as rigid as ever. "Now," the pale thin woman said, recovering her seriousness, "who's your friend?

"Allow me to show you." Pearl said before summoning the mirror Lapis Lazuli was trapped within from her gem.

"It's... a recording mirror? What could you want with that?" Rose asked, intrigued.

"I thought it was just that as well. Since it had obviously recorded something from the war, I had hoped to use it to protect Steven from your indoctrination, even if only a little bit. However..." The blue woman flipped the object over, revealing the cracked, teardrop shaped gem on its back. "... as you can see, there's a person trapped here."

"It's a lapis lazuli!" (other) Pearl exclaimed, horrified. "Hand that over right now!"

"Not happening! I promised I would free her!"

"I just can't let you keep a gem as powerful as that!"

A fight seemed to be about to break out between the two, until Garnet unexpectedly stepped in. "Enough! I can see with my future vision that our 'little friend' here won't try to pull the lapis out of the mirror unless that crack is fixed, so stand down, both of you." Surprised, both pearls did precisely that.

"That is exactly right, thank you. In fact," Pearl turned to Rose, "I don't expect you to agree to this, but I ask you to use your tears to fix her. I don't know anything about her, for all I know she could've been a rebel! Please, heal her!"

"I'm sure you will understand, but not now. Letting a gem we don't know, especially a lapis lazuli, free in a planet covered in water like this? Too much of a risk. That little Diamond of yours is enough of a headache for me."

Frustrated but not surprised, Pearl conceded. "I see. Wait, 'headache'? You seriously don't think Steven of all people could be a threat to you, right? He's wrapped around your fingers, you and Amethyst should know that!"

"Yes, but he's still a Diamond and--"

"He's not." Garnet said, interrupting her leader.

"What?" Rose and Pearl said at the same time.

"You two, along with Amethyst, seem to believe that hybrid is oblivious to what is happening, but he's not. When I first met him, I expected a barrage of questions, but they didn't come. Instead, he stayed silent and just watched us while scribbling words I don't know in a little notebook."

"Alright here, you," Pearl spoke in a voice dripping with concealed anger, outraged at the thought that someone could just talk about her son like that. "first, he behaved the way he did because you intimidated him, or did you seriously think I didn't notice that? Second, he loves writing poems, they're his great passion and have been ever since he first learned how to do that."

"I confess that I didn't greet him like I should have back at Beach City, since I expected to see a normal if overly excited child, just like Rose and Amethyst described him as." Garnet began. "However, as soon as I got close to 'Steven' I was overcome by an aura that absolutely belonged to Blue Diamond and immediately triggered a fight of flight impulse within me. In fact, I began to believe that 'he' was actually a she, and that meat body was just a clever disguise, only changing my mind after seeing you scold him when he refused to go to sleep."

The motherly gem was clenching her fists and gritting her teeth. "Go on."

"I was wrong, and I apologize. However, that doesn't mean Steven is harmless. He absolutely knows **something** and is only pretending to be oblivious. He's fooling us all."

"Enough with this nonsense." Pearl could only barely contain her rage. "You seriously think that I, the person who raised him for his entire ten year long life, wouldn't be able to see if he was doing something like that to me? **Really?** "

"Your perception of him is biased." Garnet said plainly.

"And yours isn't?!" The motherly gem fired back.

"Yes it is! It absolutely is, and I fully admit it. That doesn't mean you know everything he does or thinks, and that is perfectly normal."

"Alright, you know what? I already said all I had to say to you people, I'll head back to the tent and make sure Steven is safe. You can just stay there and plan whatever you want, just tell me if you came up with something later. I've had enough of this." Pearl silently stormed out of the meeting.

Moments later, Rose sternly scolded her subordinate. "Garnet, some things are best left unsaid when she's around."

"It's bitter, but it's the truth. She'll have to admit it later."

"Hmph, I wish I could've asked why she's covering her eyes again, she looks better with the clip." A deflated Amethyst said. "So, what do we do now? Find that monster?" She asked.

"What can you see, Garnet? Are we safe?" (other) Pearl asked as well.

"We are. The corrupted gem is wandering nearby, but for some reason it refuses to attack us. Maybe it knows it's outnumbered, but I strongly suspect Steven has something to with it somehow."

"What about him? Can you predict what he'll do after he wakes up?" Rose asked.

"No, I can't predict his behavior precisely without first knowing who he really is and his motives. For example, I don't know why he refused to sleep before Blue Diamond's pearl scolded him. Was he testing his limits, or just feeling rebellious? Was he afraid to sleep in a place he never visited before, or was he trying to protect her from us, fearing we could hurt her while he wasn't watching? Unless questions like these are answered, my future vision will always be clouded whenever he's a variable."

"So these are our new priorities, team. Once we take bubble the gem we're after, we'll help our new 'friend' destroy the Cluster and at the same time figure out who Steven really is, piece by piece. Got it?" Rose declared in a commanding voice.

"Yes, ma'am!" The three subordinates said in unison.

\------------------

Hours later, minutes after the hybrid had already woken up from his dream...

"So, what are we gonna have for breakfast?" He asked.

"Well, how about bread with fried eggs?" The motherly gem asked sweetly.

"Hooray!" The boy lifted his arms up in happiness, this was one of his favorite meals. Satisfied with that reaction, Pearl summoned two eggs and a frying pan from her gem before preparing her little dish.

 _And most important of all, she's fine!_ He thought.

Rose approached the pair with Amethyst at her side. "Yo Steven! I see you're up and runnin' again, ready to take down that monster?" the purple gem asked.

"Hello, Steven. Did you sleep well? Are you alright?" The pink woman asked in a much sweeter voice.

"Never felt better! It's amazing what a good night's sleep can do to a person, really." The boy cheerfully responded. "I did have a weird dream, but I don't remember anything, so it's fine, I guess." That last phrase picked the rebel leader's interest since according to Garnet, the corrupted gem refused to attack the group during the night because of something that had to do with the little Diamond.

"A weird dream, you say? You really don't remember anything about it?" She asked.

"Nope! Nothing at all. Must've been a really good one though, since I didn't wake up in the middle of the night. Also, can we go on with the mission after breakfast? I'm really hungry right now. Oh, and (your) Pearl and Garnet, where are they?"

"I see. (my) Pearl and Garnet are busy patrolling the area right now, so you can take your time eating."

"Shouldn't you guys be helping them?"

"They have years of experience on fighting monsters, and besides, they're not alone." The pink haired woman finished.

"Ta-da, it's done!" The former slave said while presenting the meal in question to her son: a sliced baguette stuffed to the brim with scrambled eggs. It looked delicious, and Steven looked at it with stars in his eyes.

"Aw Bloop, ya didn't need to do that for me!" Amethyst said sarcastically.

"Hey, not funny!" Steven protested before quickly grabbing the food item with both hands just to make sure it wasn't snatched from him.

"Yeesh kid, you weren't actually thinking I would take that thing from you, right? I mean, sure, I enjoy eating, but I don't need to."

"In his defense, people don't really think straight when they're hungry. And my baby is no exception." Pearl patted his head while he chomped the sandwich down. "Now Rose, what are we going to do after we're over?" she asked while beginning to dismantle the tent piece by piece and fitting multiple items either in her own gem or Steven's cheeseburger backpack.

Rose responded. "First we wait until the others come back. Once we're together, our search goes on."

"Understood."

 _Hmm... I can't see or hear any awkwardness between them now. Are they getting along? Well, Pearl's alright, so probably._ The hybrid thought while eating his sandwich and taking a few gulps of water from a plastic bottle. _Guess I don't have to worry so much from now on._ He silently sighed in relief.

No more than ten minutes passed, and everyone was ready to move on. "Alright, I'm all set! So we just have to wait for Garnet and your Pearl to come here, right?" Steven asked.

Turns out they didn't have to wait for long.

"Uh, guys? Is it just me, or is the ground shaking?" Steven asked. Multiple, very loud footsteps could be heard all around the four gems. Something very bad was about to happen, and Pearl, Rose and Amethyst summoned their weapons forth, preparing for battle. The little hybrid just dropped his heavy backpack on the ground, hoping to run away if necessary.

"Can either of you tell where it's coming from?" Pearl asked. The shadows created by the trees hid all but the largest of creatures, and although the monster was massive, it wasn't that big.

"No, it's echoing around us! Stay on you guard!" Rose answered.

Suddenly, a gigantic, eyeless quadrupedal creature with multiple horns rampaged its way into the clearing, bringing multiple trees down in the process. Garnet and (other) Pearl could be seen trying (and failing) to take it down, the corrupted gem easily shrugging off or dodging all blows directed to it. Something was wrong, subduing a creature like this should've been a very easy task, especially for those two!

"What are we waiting for, we gotta help 'em!" Amethyst shouted before spin-dashing her way into the fight. Rose responded in kind by practically flying off the ground with her floating powers. Before joining her fellow gems in combat, Pearl had a few words to say to her son.

"Steven, no matter what happens I want you to stay right here where it's safe. Got it?" With the hybrid nodding in response, the blue gem leapt into action, the fight becoming much easier with five gems, rather than just two, against one. The beast was then easily subdued, with Garnet delivering the final blow, an extremely powerful punch into the monter's skull, followed by a sickening crunch and finally the sound of it dissipating into smoke, leaving only it's gem behind, a Biggs Jasper. Before her corruption, Biggs was one of the more beloved members of the Crystal Gems, being a good friend of the three surviving senior ones. Because of that, Rose privately wanted to spend a few moments of silence in mourning.

Unfortunately, there would be no time for her to even inform her comrades of her desire, for soon enough another beast, almost identical to the one the group just defeated (the only real difference being that it was blue) emerged from the forest and charged at them.

"There's another one?! No wonder you two had so much difficulty, you were fighting them at the same time!" Rose said to her senior subordinates. "Everyone group up!" She ordered before summoning a pink bubble that would protect everyone from the monster before giving them a chance to counterattack.

"No! We're not in danger! Drop the bubble!" Garnet shouted to her leader.

"What do you mean?!" Came the response, and soon after, the corrupted gem leaped over the bubble like a horse jumping above an obstacle and kept on running after that feat. Garnet was right, none of them were in danger.

Steven was.

"STEVEN! GET OUT OF THERE NOW!" Pearl, holding both of her gauntlet-swords while chasing the monster, shouted, hoping that her son could hear her words despite all the noise.

As he saw the monster approaching, all the tiny Diamond did in the few seconds he had left before the creature reached him was just stare at it, eyes wide open in fear. The corrupted gem looked exactly like the one that almost killed him and Greg in that horrible road trip when he was just two years old before Pearl saved them at the last second. His muscles were completely frozen, and his gem never felt heavier in his chest, he could even feel it burning on the inside. What was happening with his body? Why couldn't he run?!

"What is he doing?! This ain't the time to space out, dammit!" An exasperated Amethyst said to her fellow Crystal Gems, all of whom were also chasing the gargantuan beast.

In the few miliseconds remaining, Steven's life flashed before his eyes. Pearl's homeschool lessons, his first poems, Greg's cool stories from long ago, his first joint works with him, the few times he left that little apartment in Seoul, his first meeting with Rose and eventually the rest of the Crystal Gems, and finally a vision he didn't understand (what was that about? Something about Pearl being tiny...), all in an impossibly small span of time.

He couldn't leave them. Not yet.

Sadly, it seemed he wouldn't be given that choice, for once his mind finally returned to reality it was too late for him to run away. The monster was already standing right before him, and swung one of its massive front paws at him like a cat swatting a mouse.

He was sent flying straight into a tree.

And the only thing he could do was **scream**.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that they've finally had this conversation, the Universe family and the Crystal Gems can begin to work together.
> 
> Steven thinks he's so clever, but he hasn't taken into account how other people can read him just as easily as he can read them. Also, he finally gets his first near-death experience! I'm sure that won't have any consequences at all. /s


	10. No Turning Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After almost getting killed by a corrupted gem, Steven begs Rose to train him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap, I never thought you guys would like this story so much. 75 kudos and more than 1500 hits, just wow.
> 
> Anyway, sorry to keep you all waiting! I think I'm getting better at writing action scenes.
> 
> Also, warning for some minor gore at the beginning.

\------------------

" **STEVEN!** "

Pearl screamed in despair as she saw her son hit what was probably the largest tree in the area (probably some kind of redwood) with immense force. For the briefest of moments, her mind was consumed by guilt: she personally told the boy to stay away from the fight, hoping to would keep him safe from harm, but her order had the opposite effect and left him defenseless. Now he was seriously injured, no doubt about that, and it was her fault.

Thankfully, the blue gem's mind and body sprang back into action the moment she heard the giant monster's roar. What was she thinking, this was no time to get distracted! Her precious Steven desperately needed her help, and unless she did something fast, the corrupted gem would finish him off!

That was NOT going to happen. And the Crystal Gems thought the same thing.

Rose rushed to the hybrid's location in order to heal his wounds, while her subordinates worked togethet with their ally to bring the beast down or at least hold it at bay. Although she had seen worse, the scene the leader saw still disturbed her: Steven, covered in blood, cuts, bruises and splinters was stuck right in the middle of the redwood's trunk, and it was a miracle that the tree hadn't collapsed. However, although his mangled body was a very gruesome sight, what really caught the veteran warrior's attention was the fact that his small brown eyes, usually so bright and full of emotion, looked completely lifeless.

Was he awake, or out cold? What could he be thinking? Did he know she was there?

The pink-haired woman had no time to sit and ponder, quickly grabbing and pulling the boy out the tree (with the utmost care, since he had multiple broken bones) before crying. It was an unusual scene, and, for a few seconds, Rose, cradling the hybrid in her arms, looked like a distraught mother who had just lost her son. Soon enough, fortunately, her tears worked their magic, and Steven, his body looking good as new, closed his eyes and didn't open them.

 _He's taking a nap on my arms? Seriously?_ Rose thought in disbelief she saw the boy snuggle himself into a more comfortable position.

"Pearl..." The boy whispered, his lips forming a smile.

"Oh, come on!" Rose groaned.

"ROSE! BUBBLE!" Garnet shouted from a distance. The leader, diverting her attention from the boy in her arms to the battle that was still going on (to her amazement), reacted in the nick of time, for the bubble she created was immediately rammed by the giant corrupted gem, sending it flying for several meters before stopping. Before the monster could keep up with its offensive, however, one of its hind legs was caught by Amethyst's whip, which made it change its target for the moment.

It charged at the bubble again as soon as it managed to force the purple gem to release her weapon's grip or be thrown into the air, ignoring its multiple attackers. Even (other) Pearl, who was holding onto the creature's mane for dear life and firing energy blasts from her spear into one of its horns, couldn't distract it.

"It just doesn't make any sense!" Pearl, exasperated, shouted to her allies. "Why is it so focused on Steven when we're obviously a greater threat?"

"Are we, really?" Garnet replied loudly.

"Oh come on now, you two!" Amethyst said, hoping that this could keep the two older gems from bickering in the middle of a battle.

It thankfully worked. Garnet, fed up with the mission, turned both of her gauntlets into rockets and fired them right into the corrupted gem's side, almost knocking it over. Pearl seized the opportunity and leaped onto the quadrupedal beast's back, stabbing it with her gauntlet-swords multiple times. However, although the monster shrieked in pain and tried to throw her off, it didn't poof.

The honor of finally bringing the creature down fell to Amethyst. Grabbing one of its hind legs once again, but with two whips this time, the purple gem lashed them with all the strength she had, creating a wave of bright purple energy that caused a massive explosion. The only thing left of the monster was its blue and red gemstone, which was soon bubbled and sent to the temple in Beach City.

With no more giant rampaging animals to worry about, the gems had a chance to lower their guard at last. However, Pearl hadn't calmed down yet, and ran to the location of Rose's bubble with Garnet right behind her. Amethyst didn't get the chance to savor her victory, not that she was bitter about that. Still, it always felt nice to praised every once in a while.

"I have to admit, that was very impressive." (other) Pearl said, determined not to leave her young teammate's achievement unnoticed.

Amethyst just smirked and blushed in response. "Thanks for that, P." And with that, the two women followed the others, and caught up with them just in time to watch a very amusing scene.

Pearl, aware that her son had been protected and healed by the rebel leader, was absolutely jubilant at first. "Rose! I don't think I could possibly overstate my-"

And then she saw a very satisfied-looking Steven sleeping like a baby on the pink woman's arms.

"Are. You. KIDDING ME?!" She shouted, full of jealousy.

"Hey! Don't blame me! Also, he whispered your name, so he probably thinks I'm you!" Rose retorted.

"Hug him normally or something, this is too much!"

"I am yet to hear a 'thank you', by the way!"

"Just let me handle this!"

"Hey, are those two gonna hold a competition over who's the best mom or something? I could watch that all day!" Amethyst, a few meters away from the ruckus, quipped to her teammates. Even Garnet, usually so stoic, couldn't help but snicker.

"Honestly? That would probably be the best case scenario for us." (other) Pearl answered.

"Agreed." Garnet said with a discreet smile in her face.

Naturally, the commotion woke the little hybrid up. "...Huh?" He groggily said before realizing that the woman holding him at wasn't his mother figure, but rather someone who could be really dangerous. Predictably, his emotions got the better of him, and he began to squirm with all his might.

"Pearl? Pearl?! PEARL!" Steven's sudden transition from drowsiness into complete panic surprised everyone, except Pearl. Rose, startled, let go of the boy, who raced to the blue gem as soon as his feet touched the ground and then jumped into her waiting arms, hugging her very tightly. Relishing her victory, Pearl shot Rose an insufferably smug shit-eating grin, and the pink-haired woman just rolled her eyes in response.

"... What the hell? Y'all saw how he looked at Rose, right?" Amethyst said.

"That was... really unexpected." (other) Pearl replied.

"Hmph. He thinks he's so clever, but he obviously can't keep up with this disguise forever. How long will it be until he cracks?" Garnet completed.

After finally getting a grip on his emotions (and internally scolding himself for not keeping them under control) Steven noticed how he was completely fine, despite his blood stained clothes. "Wait, I'm alright? I swear I thought I was-"

"Oh, my baby, I was so worried!" Pearl began, happy that her son was unscathed. "If it weren't for Rose and her healing tears, you would-" Oh no. She interrupted herself, but it was too late.

Steven's new mood swing was there for everyone to see, and he covered his mouth as if trying not to puke. If he seemed scared when he first woke up, now he, with his lovely brown eyes wide open in terror, looked absolutely horrified. But then, in an instant, his emotions shifted again, and he was now... angry? It certainly appeared so: the hybrid was now looking at the ground, obscuring his face, and his hands were clenched into fists. After that, he began to slowly walk to Rose, his steps heavier than usual.

This put all gems in varying states of alert, with Garnet in particular looking as if she were about to summon her gauntlets. Even Pearl, who knew him so well, was alarmed, since she knew from personal experience just how terrifying an angry Diamond was, and tried to apologize for her poor choice of words. Unfortunately, the boy just ignored her without making so much as a sound. This was completely unlike him. Rose, unsure of what to do but maintaining her composure, watched as Steven walked until he was right in front of her, before grabbing one of her hands with both of his own, which were tiny in comparison.

He then fell on his knees and looked up to the rebel leader with tears in his eyes.

"Train me. **Please!** " He begged.

"Excuse me?!" She asked, amazed at how his emotions could just completely change on a whim.

"I've had enough of being so weak, I'm full of it! This was my big chance to prove my worth to you guys, and I did NOTHING! Oh wait, I did something! I screamed like a coward and almost DIED!" And here come the tears.

"Steven, that's enough!" Pearl intervened, hugging her son before he continued to beat himself up. "You're just a child, and besides, you'll take part in other missions with us! You absolutely do not need to push yourself so hard, not when you still have plenty of opportunities!"

"But it's true! There's snow all around us, and that's just frozen water, right? Even if I couldn't have done anything with that, I could have at least run away!"

"Bloop's right bro, you're just a kid. Plus, nobody's hurt, and I can bet that you're gonna get your time to shine." Amethyst added, putting her hand on one of the hybrid's shoulders.

"And when that chance arrives, you'll take it. We'll make sure of it." Rose completed, putting her hand on Steven's other shoulder. It was a really sweet sight to behold, and even (other) Pearl and Garnet, the least friendly of the Crystal Gems, reassured the boy in their own way, the former nodding her head in agreement with what her leader said and the latter giving him a thumbs up.

"Now that this mission is done and done, how about we pick up a weapon for you?" Rose asked.

"Wait, why don't you guys teach me how to summon my own weapon like you do?" An intrigued Steven replied.

"Because you'll have to learn how to wield something first, and even after you do manage to summon your unique weapon, it is always good to have a backup plan." (other) Pearl responded methodically.

"Oh, alright. So where are we going now? Is it a giant forge or something like that?"

The mention of a forge made the three senior Crystal Gems cringe for a brief moment, a detail that Steven missed but Pearl did not. _They probably remembered that bismuth,_ she thought. "Not exactly, dear. So, what are we all waiting for?" She said with an unexpectedly enthusiastic voice, hoping to keep her allies from dwelling in the horrible memories of the war.

"Well, are you ready, Steven?" Rose asked.

"Yes ma'am!" Came the very eager answer.

"We're set, then!" The leader finished with a smile in her face.

\------------------

After a surprisingly short couple of hours, the team found the warp pad that had brought them to the Great North and promptly used it once again, being transported into a new location, many thousands of kilometers away, in mere seconds. The trip through the stream was smooth and without major issues, since Steven was now used to it and didn't float just around aimlessly anymore. The atmosphere was also much more pleasant, even when the gems were close together, since having a common objective did much to lower the tensions between Pearl and the others, even though they still had their differences.

Reaching his new destination, Steven's eyes were greeted by a magnificent, lush green landscape full of giant wild strawberries and other plants.

... Hang on, were those FLOATING ISLANDS?!

He was speechless, his starry eyes worth a thousand words each.

"You must be wondering what we are doing in a field full of strawberries, aren't you? Why not go over there and take a bite?" Rose asked.

"Oh my God..." Was the only thing the boy managed to say.

"Oh, and before you ask, you're not dreaming. This is all real!" Pearl said.

"And they're super tasty, really! None of all that stuff people put in them. Check this out!" Amethyst shouted before diving into a bush, grabbing a strawberry larger than herself, and happily digging into it, getting all gooey and sticky in the process.

"Ew..." He said.

"What? It's just juice, dude! Here, take a bite." The purple gem tore off a chunk and handed it to the hybrid, who accepted the offer and did what she asked.

"This... this is good!" He said before grabbing a second bit of the giant fruit and then another one. "Actually, it's REALLY good! It feels like I'm eating and drinking at the same time!" But even the best things in life had their drawbacks, and Steven eventually ended up soaked in strawberry juice, much to the entertainment of the others.

"...And now I really need a shower. This is nice and everything, but why did you guys bring me here? Are we going to a place we can't warp to?"

"Look around you, and pay attention while doing so. What do you see?" (other) Pearl replied, serious but somewhat amused.

"I see... a lion?"

"Most perceptive! You see, this place used to -- wait, WHAT?!" She was so easily flustered, Pearl and Amethyst couldn't help but laugh.

"Not funny. This is serious!" The pale gem shot Steven a glare.

"I **am** being serious! There's a pink lion lying around over there, look!" Steven pointed to where the animal was. His eyes weren't deciving him: a bit over a hundred meters away, a large pink lion was sleeping on the top of a small hill. Compared to what the gems had seen, this was quite mundane, but the boy was still visibly worried. Although nowhere near as scary as the corrupted gem that almost killed him, lions were still formidable predators.

"Don't worry, he's harmless." Rose calmed Steven down.

"Huh? Is he, like, your pet or something?" Steven asked. _So she has superpowers, a team to lead AND a lion that's probably magical! That's it, nothing can surprise me anymore!_ He thought, amazed.

"Not really, he just runs around doing whatever he wants. He's not a threat to anyone, he's a grump at worst. Well, unless you're a lizard, he loves eating those." Rose finished with a giggle.

This little revelation shook (other) Pearl to the core, since she was Rose's closest confidant and yet she never knew her leader had a lion. She didn't show it, but they were definitely going to talk about this later. Meanwhile, Garnet whispered something in her leader's ear.

"Hm, you think so? Very well then, go ahead." She replied to her subordinate. Without muttering another word, Garnet then leaped into the distance and disappeared among the vegetation.

"What was that about?" The boy asked.

"Garnet thinks she knows what your favorite weapon would be, so she decided to look for it on her own. Speaking of, how about we do exactly that, too? You finished your strawberry." Came the reply.

 _But I never even fought once! How could she know what would be my favorite weapon? I mean, swords are pretty cool *and* common, but..._ He thought. "Oh, right!"

With that, the group set off in their search, and began to wander around aimlessly. They split up to cover a wider area, and since there weren't any corrupted gems they could afford to do that. Still Steven stayed right at Pearl's side, holding her hand tightly, just to be sure. This exploration made the hybrid realize that this beautiful land that seemed to come straight out of a fairy tale had a horrible past: he saw weapons of all shapes and sizes lying around in whatever direction he looked at.

Spears, swords, hammers, axes, shields, you name it. Some were small and could be easily held (Rose, (other) Pearl and Amethyst brought lots of those to him, but he couldn't decide on one), while others were absolutely gigantic, with a sledgehammer in particular being as large as a car and its handle as long as a light pole. Others, like a long, spiked chain, looked more like torture devices, and he decided not to think about how they were supposed to be used.

 _This was a battlefield... I wonder how Pearl feels about walking around in here? How do the others feel, too? I didn't notice anything wrong, but still._ He thought. _There's so much stuff, how many people had to die here before everything was over? No wonder this place's soil is so fertile, it's full of shattered gems..._ He felt like he had eaten a corpse by digging into that strawberry so eagerly, and that made his insides squirm. But there were other things in his mind, especially the giant hammer he saw moments ago. _Who could possibly use something like that?_ He asked internally.

His insides then almost literally froze up when he thought of the first person who could do exactly that. _M-Mom? Could she do that? She was really big, but Dad said she was so sad when they met each other... Maybe she got sad because of what happened here?_

The idea of Blue Diamond, the person the boy looked up to the most (literally...) and looked so sad, kind and solemn in the photos the Universe family had (before Greg took those away after the incident) just shattering everyone who stood before her like a cold-blooded murderer was too much for him. Unless he got those thoughts out of his mind NOW, he would start crying, then Pearl would ask about what was going on, then Rose and the others would ask the same thing and everything would go off the rails.

Involuntarily, Steven clutched Pearl's hand even tighter, and she noticed it.

**Oh no.**

"Is everything okay, darling? You're holding my hand so ti-"

"Hello there."

"WAH!" Both the hybrid and his mother figure jumped in surprise. Turning around, they saw Garnet less than a meter away, towering over both of them and with the smallest of smiles in her face. Thankfully, her sudden appearance also drove Steven's thoughts away.

"How long were you standing behind us?!" Pearl said, flustered.

"Do you need something, ma'am?" Steven said meekly. _Where in the world did she come from?!_

"I realized that I didn't greet you properly before the mission. So..." The rebel began before pulling a long, richly decorated polearm out of one of her gems. "... I decided to apologize." She finished before giving the weapon to him. "So, what do you think?"

"OH MY GOD!" Steven exclaimed as he looked at the weapon closely. It looked almost exactly like a woldo (a "moon blade"), a long weapon with a curved blade on the end that Pearl mentioned in one of her many lessons about Korean history, except this one was decorated with all sorts of patterns. He had never seen one of these up close before, yet it felt like a perfect fit. How did Garnet read him so well? "It's perfect! Thank you, Garnet!" He finished with stars in his eyes.

"You really shouldn't, I owed you an apology after all. Actually, I forgot to say one thing."

"What is it, ma'am?" Steven enthusiastically asked.

"Don't do anything funny." The smiling woman said, adjusting her glasses as she did so, before walking away to join her comrades.

"I... of course, ma'am." The boy was now on the verge of collapsing, not only out of happiness, but also out of fear.

At face value, the square haired woman's warning was nothing more than just that. The polearm's blade looked ridiculously sharp, and Steven, a ten year old child, had no idea how to hold it properly, for obvious reasons. However, the hybrid knew that those words had another meaning.

 **Don't even think about fooling me, boy.** That was what she really meant.

Garnet knew. Steven Diamond Universe, so used to reading people and getting away with it, was given a taste of his own medicine.

"Pearl? I found what I was looking for. Let's go talk with Rose and get out of here." The boy said to his mother figure, eyes full of determination and hands holding the weapon's handle with renewed resolve. The blue gem put her hand on his shoulder, a gesture of encouragement.

"And I really miss Dad..." He finished, these last words putting a smile on Pearl's face.

This was it. There was no turning back now, and he was heading straight into the lion's den. Steven only hoped that Pearl and Greg would be alright when he finally got out.

In time, the hybrid would realize that he was worrying too much.

\------------------

Bonus image: A woldo is basically a Korean glaive. Here's a guandao (a Chinese polearm) below to give you an idea. Image taken from Pinterest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Steven's tiny, cute, smart and EXTREMELY attached to his family.
> 
> He's also a cauldron full of swirling, boiling emotions that can burst at any moment.
> 
> If you notice any typos, please tell me! Comments are always appreciated.


	11. Time to Rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven finally reunites with Greg after being away for almost two days.
> 
> After he falls asleep, Pearl returns to Beach City to discuss Steven's training and how to build the drill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, this fic got mentioned on Tumblr by a fellow named keriwi1! Should you read this, thank you!
> 
> Holy moly, these chapters keep getting bigger and bigger. Be warned, the first part might be a bit of a drag.

\------------------

A few hours later, in Seoul...

Steven never thought, after meeting the Crystal Gems, that he would miss his little apartment. But when he saw the door of his home for the first time in almost two days, almost dying in that period and later swearing to himself that he would never stop training until he grew strong enough to the point where such a thing would never happen again, he felt as if on the verge of collapsing out of exhaustion right there, thinking about the bed he was used to sleep on. It had been a long mission, and his mind desperately needed some rest.

As Pearl opened the door, the hybrid's eyes were greeted with a sight that gave him exactly that, and soon his exhaustion had vanished.

Greg was there just lying on the couch, probably waiting for the two to arrive.

"DAAAAD!" The surprised boy exclaimed before running to his father.

"... Huh? Whoa! Who?!" Greg blurted out as he was startled out of his nap, nearly jumping from the couch. His surprise was replaced by pure joy miliseconds later. "Steven! Thank God you're okay, you wouldn't believe how much I missed you!" The retired musician then opened his arms, ready to hug his son.

"Hey hey hey now!" But Pearl, moving as fast as a lightning bolt, put herself between the two, interrupting their heartwarming reunion. "I'm really sorry for doing this, but Steven really needs to take a shower right now. He's all dirty and sticky!" The blue gem finished while pointing at the boy's strawberry (and blood) stained clothes.

"Aw..." Steven pouted like the child he was.

"It's alright, Schtu-ball. We'll have plenty of time to talk after your bath, and I've got a surprise for you!" Greg consoled the hybrid.

"Really?!" Steven's eyes lightened up.

"Yup, and you're gonna love it!"

"Yay!" Steven, delighted, grabbed his towel and ran into the bathroom. The sooner he cleaned himself, the sooner he could hug his father. The two parents were left alone, free to talk with each other, and the living room's atmosphere got a lot more serious.

"It would be a bit too crazy, even for us, for me to assume that he fell onto a giant strawberry or something, right?" Greg asked to Pearl, remarking about Steven's dirty clothes.

"Actually, no. That happened, too." The blue gem said, trying, and failing, to crack a smile. "He dug into it so eagerly that he got all dirty..."

 _Alright, there's clearly more to this._ Greg thought. "What happened?"

Pearl's frown deepened and her delicate hands clenched into fists.

 _... Oh, fuck._ Greg wanted to ask again, but he knew when to give others space. "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it for now." He said.

"I almost got him killed..." The former slave whispered, almost inaudibly.

Greg's eyes widened. "Wait, what did you say?" He asked, hoping his ears were lying to him.

"I almost got him killed. A corrupted gem attacked us, and I told him to stay away so he wouldn't get caught in the middle of the fight. As it turned out, Steven was its real target, and he was defenseless. If it weren't for Rose and her healing tears..." Pearl began to grit her teeth.

"Pearl..." Greg tried to comfort her, but was rudely rejected.

"I'm **fine** now. Don't you **dare** to worry about me." The motherly woman hissed. "You should worry about him instead..." She finished.

"I'm back!" Steven exclaimed as he left the bathroom, and the pair quickly changed their expressions, as if they weren't having a very serious conversation. Oddly enough, however, their bad feelings were swept away by a sudden tide of happiness, and the forced smiles they wore became genuine ones. "And I have a surprise for you too, Dad!"

"Oh, what is it, Schtu-ball?"

"THE STRONGEST HUG EVER!" The hybrid leaped into his father's arms and, as promised, gave him a bone-crushing hug. "There's so much I wanna tell you about!" Steven finished.

"Ow ow ow! Hey, you're crushing me!" Greg protested while also playfully ruffling his son's hair, and the boy let him go accordingly.

"Sorry, but so many things happened while we were away that I don't even know where to start!" He said while bouncing.

"How about we listen to Greg's story instead then? I reeeally want to know what his big surprise is." Pearl proposed with a smile.

"Oh, right! It was a surprise for me too, by the way! I'm sure you both remember how I used to go on tours and all that right before meeting Blue, right? Well, I found out someone put one of my songs into some burger commercial years ago!"

"And?" The listeners asked, a bit deflated (mostly Steven, but he was just too excited) but still intrigued.

"That commercial was a huge success, and I just won ten million US dollars because of that!"

"HUH?!" Their jaws were just hanging open.

"Which also means that I don't have to work like I used to anymore!"

"YAY!" Steven squealed in happiness and hugged his father once more. Now he could spend more time with him, how could he not be absolutely overjoyed?

"Now it's your turn!" Greg said.

"Oh boy, where do I begin? I'll just go with how we warped to Beach City and began the mission, I guess."

"Get ready, this one's a doozy." Pearl said. "Believe me, he has a **lot** to talk about!"

"Start it up, Schtu-ball! I'm all ears!" Greg urged his son.

Pearl's warning proved to be prophetic, for Steven was dead set on describing everything as meticulously as possible, and he often acted out multiple scenes, much to his parents' amusement. The boy began with how he met the two remaining Crystal Gems in Beach City, who seemed quite intimidating at first, before moving on to the trip to the Great North, the fight with the corrupted gem (conveniently leaving out the fact that he almost died), and finishing with how Amethyst offered him part of a giant strawberry, which was why he was so sticky before his bath. He would've gone further, but then made a loud yawn that made him reconsider.

"Uh, what time is it?" The hybrid asked before looking at the clock on the wall. "Oh my God! Did I seriously just talk for two hous straight?! You guys must be bored out of your minds, I'm sorry!" He said, worried.

"Bored? After listening to how Pearl over here and the others fought a giant monster? No way!" Greg calmed his son. "It's just *yawn* late, and your sleep schedule's all bungled up, right? So you gotta be even sleepier than I am." Greg calmed his son. "I just wish we had some popcorn."

As soon as Greg finished saying those last words, Steven felt his stomach growl. "Speaking of sleeping, could we have dinner now? I got so excited that I forgot how hungry I was. And I didn't even tell Dad how I'm gonna start training tomorrow..."

"Eh?" Greg was going to ask a question, but was quickly interrupted by Pearl.

"You don't need to worry about that, my baby, I'll tell him everything later. Right now, all you need to do is relax while we prepare your dinner. Maybe that strange cartoon you like is on the TV right now? The one with the colorful ghosts who punch things while making noises?" The blue gem said.

"Pearl!" Steven gasped, full of fake surprise and offense. "First, it's an anime. Second, those 'ghosts' are called Stands." He finished with an exaggerated frown before giggling with his parents. Oh, how he loved moments like this, he wished they could last forever.

After that, Pearl and Greg went to the kitchen to prepare their son's dinner, Steven just laid down on the couch and, after turning on the TV began to switch channels absentmindedly, trying and failing to find something worthwhile. The anime the motherly gem talked about (which was meant for older audiences, but the worst/nastiest scenes were heavily censored so neither of his parents minded him watching it) sadly wasn't on air right now, and the only things available were either news channels, cartoons which were meant for really young children, and stupid reality shows. The little hybrid was bored out of his mind, and not even the delicious smell coming from the kitchen could distract him.

Just when the boy was about to fall asleep...

"Dinner's ready!" Pearl exclaimed with a satisfied voice, clearly proud of what she and Greg made. Steven sluggishly got up from the couch and began to slowly move to the kitchen, not before turning the TV off.

"You alright there, bud?" Greg asked before being answered by a loud yawn. Though this was natural, the retired musician was still surprised by his son's change in appearance: his seemingly limitless joy was gone, having been replaced by tiredness and boredom, and there were visible dark bags under his eyes. Thankfully, some of the former went away after he saw the simple but delicious dish that had been prepared for him, a bowl of rice with boiled beef and carrots. The hybrid grabbed a pair of chopsticks and dug into the meal, only stopping when the bowl was empty and his hunger completely satisfied.

The two adults couldn't help but smile proudly.

After that, the only thing Steven had left to do before going to sleep was brushing his teeth, which was done in a matter of minutes. Soon enough, he was lying in the two person bed he slept on for so many years (Greg slept at his side, and Pearl didn't need to sleep so there was no need for a second bed) and said his last words to his loving parents before having a much needed good night's sleep.

"Pearl, I have a confession to make." The tired boy began. "That sleeping bag you bought me was super comfy, but it's nothing compared to this."

"Oh my baby, of course sleeping here, in your home, is much better than in a tent in the middle of nowhere." Pearl sweetly replied and put one of her hands on his left cheek.

Steven just smiled. "What about you, Dad? Aren't you tired too?"

"Heh, it's still a bit too early for me, Schtu-ball. Besides, I still gotta make sure this whole thing isn't too good to be true." Greg said. "But don't worry buddy, soon enough your dad will be right here at your side."

"Did I ever write a poem about how much I love you guys? I don't think I have. Then again, I would probably run out of paper..."

The two adults just blushed and 'awww-ed' in response, that was too sweet.

"We love you too, Steven. Good night." Pearl said before kissing the hybrid's forehead.

"Sweet dreams, buddy." Greg said.

"Good night, guys." Steven replied.

The adults quietly left the room and shut the door so as to not disturb him, and as soon as that was done the boy fell asleep.

\------------------

A few minutes later, in the living room...

"Okay, what the heck was that?" Greg asked Pearl.

"So you felt it as well? All of your bad emotions being swept away as soon as he got out of the bathroom? I never felt anything like it before." She replied.

"So my mind wasn't making that up, good to know. Do you think this has to do with his powers, sort of how he makes other people cry like Blue did?"

"It would only make sense, their feelings were always... contagious. But why now?" Pearl was intrigued.

"Maybe meeting Rose woke up something in him, like how these video game characters level up and stuff?" Greg inquired. "Also, something about him just looks a little different to me. What do you think?"

"That is actually incredibly likely." Pearl answered the first question. "And no, I didn't notice anything. What is it?"

"It's probably just me, then, but I feel like he grew up a little bit while you two were away. Nothing major really, just a couple of inches. He's definitely a bit stronger, too." The retired musician stated.

"Well, he is a growing boy after all, and considering how much food he usually eats, it's only natural for his body to grow. In fact, speaking of growing up..." Pearl said before summoning the two meter long glaive that Garnet found in the battlefield from her gem. "His training will begin tomorrow."

Greg felt something in him twist just from looking at the weapon. "So this is it, huh?" He began. "I know something like this would happen eventually, but damn it, he's just a kid." His little boy, Steven Universe, was going to become a soldier. A child soldier. "Did they at least tell you what they're gonna do to him?"

"That is what I intend to find out now. And if I were honest with you, our relations have improved greatly, we're at much better terms than I had hoped. We're also going to discuss how to deal with the Cluster." Pearl answered with a small smile in her face.

"So something's going right for us for once, thank God." Greg sighed in relief. "Honestly, I really want to go with you, if only to thank Rose for saving Steven's life, but he can't be left alone and, to be really fair, I would probably hold you back."

"Your opinion of yourself is way too low. Besides, Rose would surely like to have a conversation with you, considering your... past encounter. I'll make sure she knows just how grateful you are." Pearl reassured him.

"You're right. I **did** woo a giant alien queen, after all." Greg said, the former slave snickering in response. "But enough about me. The sooner you work with them, the sooner you guys can save the planet. Good luck out there, Pearl."

"Farewell, Greg. And I apologize for lashing out at you like that, you didn't deserve it." Came the reply as she was opening the door to leave.

"No worry about that, I understand. That fight was obviously hell for you, and judging by the way you talked about it, I would've acted the same way."

After that, Pearl waved Greg goodbye as she had done so many times before, then closed and locked the wooden door before going off on her own.

\------------------

While Pearl was on her way to Beach City, the Crystal Gems were on the temple, discussing what to do next, and although dealing with the Cluster was the most important thing to do in the long term by far, right now Steven was the main focus of the conversation. Everyone agreed that the boy, who seemed so adorably naive at first, was actually a very sketchy individual, but they disagreed on how much of a danger he posed to them.

"Are you telling me that you still can't predict his behavior fully, Garnet?" Rose asked.

"That is correct. Most of the hints he gave us indicate that he's more afraid of us than we are of him, but some of the timelines I see, whether we train him or not, are extremely disturbing. Something about that boy is **dangerous**." Garnet replied.

"Well, he's definitely not gonna be our friend if we treat him like a ticking time bomb instead of, you know, a kid." Amethyst said.

"Why are we even discussing the idea of training the abilities of someone who could easily turn on us, and with the full force of a Diamond of all gems? Who's to say that his grand gesture wasn't some stunt to manipulate us?" (other) Pearl asked her leader.

"Because we have to trust them. That pearl would never have approached me, much less talked, unless she had a very good reason to do so. And while I agree that training Steven is a risk, leaving him alone and vulnerable to Homeworld's indoctrination is an infinitely greater one. He's something extraordinary, that is for sure." Rose replied.

Amethyst always hated conversations involving anything about Homeworld, since they showed just how disconnected she was from her superiors. She loved and would give her life to protect them, yes, but she just didn't share the same sort of comraderie that Garnet, (other) Pearl and Rose had for each other, since she was "born" after the end of the war. One advantage the pruple gem had, however, was the fact she possessed a much better understanding of the human race than any of her superiors. And that understanding was desperately necessary now, or else a massive mistake would be made. "And that's why we have to treat him nicely, or else he'll bite us right in the ass. Hard." She said in support of her leader's decision.

Before (other) Pearl could make another objection, Garnet stepped in. "His abilities will develop eventually. It's not something he will understand or be able to control, unless we train him." With three against one, the thin pale woman reluctanctly conceded.

"Very well then. And I suppose I am the one who will do so?" She asked.

"Indeed you will. We'll be away for a week with our ally, searching for parts to build the drill, while you stay and train him." Rose answered.

"Wait, P's gonna do it on her own? When was the last time she even saw a human?" Amethyst objected.

"Oh don't be so hyperbolic now, Achilles turned out fine." The expert swordswoman retorted.

"That was like three thousand years ago! And besides, that dude got himself killed because he charged in blind and was shot with an arrow on the heel, of all places!"

"If my vision is correct, they will be fine. But still," Garnet began, looking at (other) Pearl right in the eyes, "no matter what happens, **do not** push him too far. He'll likely do that for you, but if you don't realize when to make him stop, things can and will end very badly."

"And that's why I should stay here, to help her with it! The guy's a kid, not some ancient warrior of sorts!" The purple gem exclaimed.

"I can do it." (other) Pearl said.

"What was that?" The pink-haired woman asked.

**"I can do it."**

"Good. Amethyst, I'm sorry, but you have a much better relationship with that pearl than any of us do. By staying with us, we'll have a much better chance of preventing any argument from occurring, thus keeping us focused on what really matters." Rose said to her young subordinate.

Amethyst still strongly disagreed, but realized that voicing her feelings just wasn't worth the trouble. Besides, being seen as the glue instead of being constantly infantilized by her so called peers was somewhat of an improvement, in her eyes. "Alright, fine." She said.

Soon after, the warp pad the group was close to emitted a bright light, signaling that their ally had arrived.

"Hello everyone, I hope I didn't miss anything too important." Pearl said, smiling. The Crystal Gems, except for Amethyst of course, were completely shocked by her drastic change in appearance and attitude. The blue gem looked, and felt, like a completely different person: the sleeveless shirt she usually wore was replaced by one whose sleeves reached her wrists, and she also wore a long waistcoat that completely covered her torso, with the exception of a diamond-shaped opening that allowed others to see her gem. Her tight, knee-length shorts were replaced by jeans that were visibly looser, hiding just how thin her legs were. Completing the change, the former slave's long bangs were kept in place by a single, diamond-shaped hairclip, allowing other to see her eyes and expressions.

Everything about her just exuded confidence, and (other) Pearl in particular couldn't help but clap in approval. "Well, this is a surprise." She said. "A very welcome one."

"Now THAT is the Bloop I met back at the Kindergarten! Where the hell were you?" Amethyst asked.

"Believe me, it's a very long story." The motherly blue gem said with a smirk, seeing how even Garnet gave her a thumbs up, before straightening her expression into a serious one. "Now, really, did I miss anything important?"

"We've just decided how to gather parts for the drill and how to handle Steven's training." Rose replied.

"So?"

"You, me, Amethyst and Garnet will visit several different regions of this planet for a week, in the search of whatever might be useful to us. Meanwhile, Pearl over here would teach the boy how to fight."

"That's it?" Pearl asked, raising an eyebrow.

Rose was willing to listen to the blue gem. "That was what we four here agreed to, yes, but--"

"I'm in."

"Huh?" The pink-haired woman asked, unsure of what she just heard.

"I'll repeat what I said before: I'm in."

"WHAT?!" The Crystal Gems, with the exception of Garnet, of course, all had varying expressions of disbelief. Was she actually serious? "Look, you might think this is funny, but the safety of the planet is a stake! Don't mess with us like this!" (other) Pearl said.

"An why would I be lying?" Pearl crossed her arms. "If there is one thing that I am willing to admit to you people, it is that you've made Steven's life infinitely happier. Actually, I can't wait to tell him this, he will probably be delighted!"

"You're gonna leave your kid alone for a week with someone who was your enemy until, like, the same amount of time ago? Doesn't he have any friends or family other than you and that Mr. Universe dude?" Amethyst asked, trying to comprehend the blue former slave's logic.

"None at all. My baby has come out of his shell marvelously in these last few days, all thanks to the fact that he met fellow gems like you. In fact, he was so happy today that I literally felt his joy! It was a very welcome break from having My Diamond's depression forced upon me." Pearl said before turning to Rose. "By the way, speaking of Greg, he was so grateful that you saved Steven's life that he wanted to come along to tell you in person. But someone has to take care of Steven while he sleeps."

The rebel leader rubbed the back of her head nervously at the mention of Greg's name. "You seriously don't want to add anything at all? You'll just hand him over to us?"

"Well, regarding the Cluster, My Diamond's ship and palanquin have an immense number of sensors and radars that can help us in our quest. Other than that, I'll have to inform Greg about Steven's training, but I doubt he'll object. Even if he did, Steven would convince him otherwise with his puppy eyes and silver tongue." Pearl stated. "And besides, even **she** wouldn't hurt a harmless ten year old child, or would she?" She finished, pointing to (other) Pearl, who just crossed her arms and glared in response.

"He. Is. Not. Harmless." Garnet said.

"Sorry Bloop, but I gotta admit that, now that I think about it, the little guy isn't as oblivious as you think he is." Amethyst said in agreement.

"Oh, even you, Amethyst?" Pearl said with fake surprise before turning to Garnet. "Regarding you, I absolutely refuse to get into another argument like last time, but I also strongly advise you not to use your future vision so much. Not only it makes you unnecessarily paranoid, it is not always correct. You of all people ought to know that."

"Hmph. Very well." The square-haired woman replied. "I only hope you won't have to regret your words later."

"So this is it then? Anything else you want to add?" (other) Pearl asked, still somewhat surprised at how this conversation was going so well.

"The only advice I have left to give is to give him food and bathroom breaks, as well as to not start training him until after, say, two in the afternoon, after his lunch." The motherly woman began. "Before that, you can let him wander around free, but always keeping an eye on him in case he stumbles upon a corrupted gem. I doubt he would try to run away, so that is one less headache for you. Also, if you're worried about pushing him too far, don't be. He's always been too hard on himself, as you've seen on the mission, so if anything he'll probably think you're going easy on him." She finished before heading back to the warp pad.

Just as she was about to leave, however, she turned around and asked a surprise question. "By the way, are we in good enough terms for you to finally heal her?" Pearl asked, summoning the mirror that contained Lapis Lazuli from her gem.

"No. And definitely not in a beach of all places." Came Rose's answer.

Though she knew this was the most likely response, Pearl couldn't help but grumble and roll her eyes before turning her attention to the mirror. "I'm really sorry, Lapis, but you'll have to wait just a while longer. But don't worry, I **will** get through her thick skull eventually, that is a promise." The former slave said in a tone just loud enough for the Crystal Gems to hear her. After that, she disappeared.

She still had plenty of time to wander around on her own and perhaps perform an unplanned shopping trip if she really wanted to, but she was satisfied enough with her conversation with the rebels that she instead ran right back to the Universe family's apartment in Seoul. It would be a week before she saw it again, after all.

\------------------

"... Uh? What?"

A few hours after falling asleep, Steven woke up and found himself in a very familiar room. But he noticed a few major differences right from the get go, the first being the fact that the walls were decorated in a strange pattern that allowed him to see a light blue curtain through it, so they weren't solid like last time. The second one was that he wasn't feeling a headache, despite waking up sitting on a throne identical to the last one.

 _So this is a different place, and I'm feeling fine now. Hmm, I wonder if I'm still..._ He thought as he stood up and inspected his body, which was once again skinny and stretchy, before realizing, much to his delight, that he was still wearing the same fancy outfit he wore on the last dream. _Alright, this is getting good. All that I need now is a confirmation._

The hybrid had a small on his face, which quickly became a full grin when he saw Pearl, who once again looked so very tiny and fragile, standing right next to the entrance of the "room". She was wearing a strange outfit, a leotard combined with a long transparent skirt, and had an oddly subservient posture, holding both of her hands and standing completely still, looking less like a person and more like a statue.

Steven didn't notice that crucial difference, however, for he was too focused on the pure euphoria that came from the fact that he had, once again, grown to a gigantic size. The mere idea of being so immense and powerful -so completely unlike who he really was- was intoxicating to the young hybrid's mind, and he, who was more often than not guided by his raw emotions, wanted to do nothing else other than just completely surrender himself to this wonderful feeling. He wanted this, he deserved it. And there was no better way for him to enjoy his status and importance than sitting on the throne that had been built exactly for him, so he did exactly that.

But while the mighty Diamond was, for lack of better words, as high as a kite, there was still a part of him that remained rational. And that part did **not** like what it was seeing, not one bit.

 _What is going on, and why does Pearl look like that?_ He thought. Something was wrong with her. Actually, everything about this situation felt wrong, in a way, despite all the euphoria the hybrid was feeling right now. He just couldn't get the thought that something very bad was about to happen out of his head.

The front door of the room opened itself automatically, and Steven realized that he wasn't really in a building, but rather a large cage of sorts. There were multiple gems of all shapes and sizes outside, all of them small next to him and finely dressed and decorated, showing that they were most likely aristocrats. What were they all doing here, was this some sort of ceremony? Four people stood out among the crowd: a blue woman wearing wore a cute looking dress and whose face was hidden behind her long hair, and three red ones whose hairdos reminded him of Garnet. All of them were insanely tiny, even by his standards, and even Pearl looked tall next to them.

Speaking of Pearl, what in the world was going on with her? She didn't do so much as mutter a word, and although she didn't look scared or sad, she definitely didn't look happy either. This was wasn't right, she was not supposed to be like this.

"My Diamond, I have arrived." The short aristocrat said as she entered the cage, leaving her three bodyguards behind.

"Sapphire, tell me what will happen here." The Diamond replied.

 _Wait, what?!_ He had never seen this woman before, how did he know her name?! And what was wrong with his voice? It sounded... cold. Way, way too cold.

"I foresee the rebels attacking the Cloud Arena. Before they are cornered, they will destroy the physical forms of seven gems, including two of my ruby guards, and myself. Immediately after my form is destroyed, the rebels will be captured. The Rebellion ends here."

"Thank you, Sapphire. That is all I need to know." Steven said, visbly relieved. Rebels? Attack? Why did he react in such an uncaring manner, seven people were about to be killed!

"I look forward to speaking with you again once I've reformed back on Homeworld." Sapphire replied before bowing and exiting the cage, rejoining her guards. Reform? So no one was actually going to die? The giant was now genuinely relieved, and this tidbit also explained why the little noble was so calm about her future.

"Steven, leave this planet! This colony will not be completed!" A loud and very familiar voice declared. _Colony?_ The hybrid asked himself.

"It's the rebels! Show yourselves!" One of the rubies shouted.

Soon after, Rose and a very different looking (other) Pearl emerged from the mist that surrounded the Cloud Arena. "We are the Crystal Gems!" They shouted simultaneously before leaping onto the crowd and slicing multiple people with their swords. The three rubies combined themselves, creating one that was larger and stronger, but Rose easily overpowered the fusion and then poofed two of them.

In response to the mayhem that was going on outside, the cage completely closed itself and, using multiple spider-like legs that emerged from its lower section, walked away from the carnage. _I can't just sit here and do nothing, I have to stop them!_ The Diamond thought, but his body didn't obey his mind and remained seated on the throne. He didn't have a clear view of anything right now, only hearing multiple people shouting and running in several directions.

"NOOOO!" Ruby shouted before something extraordinary occurred. _Damn it, what is going on?! Why can't I move?!_ Steven's mind was racing. This was the same inaction that almost got him killed, and it was happening again!

Soon enough, however, the battle ended, and the sound of chaos was replaced by jeers and declarations of disgust. The cage returned to its original position, finally giving the hybrid a good enough view of what had happened.

"Disgusting! Unbelievable! Unheard of!" The aristocrats shouted to a strange, three-eyed woman who looked like a version of Garnet that was made from cotton candy.

"Wha... what?" The multicolored woman said to no one in particular, behaving like a curious child who had just been born, before splitting into Ruby and Sapphire. Steven could feel his face turning into a scowl just by looking at her, but why? She obviously didn't hurt anyone.

"Sapphire, this is not the scenario you described!" He shouted, full of anger.

"I... I don't know! This is not what I saw, I don't know what happened!" She answered, disoriented.

"No, it was me!" Ruby said, putting herself between the Diamond and Sapphire.

 **"Clearly."** Steven said, the word coming out of his mouth like an icy dagger dripping with venom. _What the hell am I saying?! What did she do wrong?!_ He shouted from his mind, but his body seemed to be acting on its own. _Wait, I'm not going to - **no**_ **. _No way_.**

"How dare you fuse with a member of my court!"

_No. Stop it._

"Forgive me, I-"

_DON'T YOU DARE._

**"You will be broken for this!"**

Ruby was surrounded by the crowd, cutting off any potential escape route. She was completely vulnerable.

 _I SAID STOP IT, YOU SICK FREAK! SHE'S INNOCENT!_ The hybrid's mind screamed.

A glowing white orb full of pure energy and hatred appeared on Steven's right hand.

 _WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS FUSION THING?! SHE DIDN'T HURT ANYONE!_

He was about to kill an innocent person. And there was nothing he could do to stop it.

_I DON'T WANT THIS! **STOP!** _

He threw the orb right at the little bodyguard. Just when it was about to hit her...

\------------------

 **"NOOOOOO!"** Steven woke up from the nightmare thrashing and twisting with all his might. His vision was blurry from all the tears that were falling from his eyes, so blurry that he didn't see Greg and Pearl right next to him until the former shouted right into his ear.

"Kid, kid! We're here!" The former musician's words were followed by a tight embrace, which made the boy stop thrashing and look at Pearl (at this point wearing her usual outfit), who was crying uncontrollably thanks to Steven's emotional powers. The worried look on her face, combined with the desperately needed warmth of Greg's hug, made him cry even harder.

"What kind of nightmare did you have, buddy?" Greg said while patting the boy's back and humming a tune from his toddler years that always calmed him down.

Sobs.

"My baby, we're here for you! Take all the time you want, we'll never leave!" Pearl said, joining in on the hug.

More sobs. Quiet ones.

"Shhh, it's okay, Steven..." Greg whispered like he was singing a lullaby.

But the crying continued.

"Do you want to tell us what happened? Do you remember it?" Pearl asked.

The hybrid shook his head, a massive lie that went unnoticed by the pair. The two adults had enough problems in their lives, they didn't need to know that their son had dreamed about straight up murdering someone.

Not saying a word, the ten year old hugged both of his parents with all the strength he had, and since he didn't hear any protests, he didn't let go.

And the tears kept falling for what felt like hours.

Steven wasn't so excited to train anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Steven might be a bit calculating and power-hungry, but he's still a good person.
> 
> If there is one thing he is infinitely more afraid of than being weak and useless, it's hurting innocent people.
> 
> Warning, the next chapter will probably have a LOT of angst. And maybe townies.


	12. Crossroads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven makes the most important choice of his life yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh good God, I thought I would never finish this!
> 
> Be warned, this chapter is HUGE. Because of that, I'm sure that there will be some typos that I didn't see.
> 
> Also, the training sequence might be a little nasty, so viewer discretion is advised.
> 
> Finally, I hope I managed to deliver on my promise of lots and lots of angst!

\------------------

After a few minutes that felt like hours to the Universe family, Steven finally stopped crying and let go of his parents, who did the same thing. They were warm enough, if the group hug continued for much longer then either Greg or the boy would start to sweat, which would make the whole situation even more uncomfortable. The tears were bad enough.

Steven then sat on the bed and, not saying a word, shot a pleading look at the pair, almost as if he were trying to communicate with them through some form of telepathy. They got the message right away.

"You want us to leave you alone for a while, buddy? Give you some space?" Greg asked.

Pearl nervously clasped her hands together, unwittingly reminding the hybrid of whoever that horribly distorted and submissive version of her was, and he quickly looked down in order to shut that image out of his mind. Shortly after that, he nodded, the two adults promptly exiting the bedroom and closing the door afterward. Now alone and with his emotions finally under control, Steven could think clearly about what he just saw.

 _What was that?_ His mind began. _I was as big as Mom used to be, which was nice, but why did I act like that? How did I know that blue lady's name, why did Rose and her Pearl attack those people out of nowhere? Most importantly, why in the world was I so angry and hateful to the point where I tried to kill that square gem for doing whatever fusion is?_ He could understand why he loved being tall so much (the boy always resented his short stature), but why did this dream in particular also feature so many awful things, such as Pearl wearing a leotard and acting like a statue, on top of everything else?

Steven gasped as he came up with a possible reason.

 _Maybe it was a warning?_ He thought. _If I do train my abilites and become as powerful as I always wanted, will all that power will go straight into my head, turn me into a tyrant and force Rose and the other Crystal Gems to fight me? Absolute power corrupts absolutely and all that? It would surely explain the throne..._ The more the boy thought about it, the more plausible it seemed, and his eyes widened. _I would create a bunch of nonsensical laws, force Pearl to wear that awful outfit and act the way she did, and kill innocent people for doing so much as looking at me the wrong way?_

There was also the colony stuff too. One thing the hybrid remembered particularly well from his mother figure's history lessons, whenever colonies were involved, was that the natives of colonized lands were, at the very least, stripped of their culture, usually being outright exterminated or enslaved (she employed a lot of euphemisms, but he understood everything). This was surely something that a dictator, who was by definition a person that never cared about others, would be willing to do in order to increase his or her own personal wealth and prestige.

"Oh My God..." Steven, horrified, whispered to himself.

\------------------

Meanwhile, in the living room...

"This day was supposed to be perfect..." Pearl began. "Steven was going to start training while I went on a joint mission with the Crystal Gems. And then **this** happens..."

Greg wanted to calm her down, but he was curious. "Wait, you're not gonna watch him train?"

"Not initially. He'll be left in the care of their pearl for a week. In the meantime, I'll help the rest of them with the mission."

"And you agreed to that?! Don't you think that's really dangerous? There's no way I can check up on him either, even if I could help!" The former musician was surprised at the terms. The boy was completely defenseless, and he was about to be kept away from his family for a week.

"He loves them, and there's no way even that pearl would hurt a ten-year old child." The former slave replied.

"I know he'll probably love it, thinking that maybe it'll be like a camping trip or something, but it just seems too fast for me." Greg said.

"I thought that too, but then everything began to go super well, as I have already told you. Now that he woke up like this, I'm not so sure. How can this day go if its beginning was so horrible?" Pearl was beginning to lose hope, and Greg had to act fast before things got worse.

"Hey hey hey now, let's not get ahead of ourselves." This wasn't the first time Steven had a nightmare, and he went through a situation that was infinitely worse - not that Pearl knew, both the father and the boy swore to keep it a secret - so Greg was confident that he was going to recover. "First, if every porkchop were perfect we wouldn't have hotdogs. Second, Steven's a strong kid, so I'm sure he will get through this."

"Uh... okay. I understand that I might be overreacting a bit, but what does this have to do with hot dogs?" Pearl asked, bewildered.

"I meant that nothing is perfect, and that if we keep chasing that perfection we'll only hurt ourselves and everyone around us. You know, can't let the perfect be the enemy of the good and all that." Greg explained, the motherly gem 'oh'-ing in response. "Still, a whole week... Could I tag along this time, if only to say goodbye? I can walk my way back here as long as you warp me through." He asked.

"Of course you can!" Pearl responded, the musician smiling.

"I'll miss you two. Take care, okay?"

Now it was the blue gem's turn to smile. "Don't **you** get ahead of yourself now."

Soon after, the door to the bedroom opened, revealing a Steven who, while still shaken, looked a lot better than when he woke up.

"Hey guys," He began, "I'm a bit hungry right now. Can we have some breakfast?"

It was time to start the day, and both adults were ready for it.

"Right away, my baby." Came Pearl's answer.

"Got something in you mind, buddy?" Greg asked.

"Well..." Steven shyly smiled. He did have a very particular thing in his mind...

\------------------

A few hours later, in the Beach City temple...

The warp pad did its thing, and suddenly the Universe family was standing on it, to distracted by the conversation they were having to really notice that they had already arrived.

"I'm telling you Greg, had you not become a singer you would've made a great chef. And as a team, we would've been unbeatable in any competition! Your love and care, combined with my precision..." Pearl had been going on about her and Greg's culinary talents for a few minutes now.

"Uh, you guys knew I was joking when I asked you to bake a cake in thirty minutes, right?" Steven asked.

"Well, I did. But her..." Greg answered.

"I felt like I was drawing a picture! How could I notice just how similar that is to icing a cake before?" Okay, she didn't, but least she was happy.

"Well, who am I to complain? The cake was good. I guess..." The boy remarked to his father and shot him a very familiar look.

"Steven." Greg tried to stop him.

"It was so good..."

"Kid, no."

"It made me see stars?" Steven finished the pun, referencing the stars Pearl drew, and shot his father the single most awkward look possible.

"Argh, you got me." Greg groaned in fake frustration, dad jokes were supposed to be his department. "But that was too easy, bud." He ruffled his son's hair. "You're getting better, I give you that." Steven's eyes turned into stars after hearing his father's praise. He never had the most acute sense of humor, really, especially when it came to jokes, but sometimes the attempt was better than doing nothing.

"We HAVE to do this again, maybe with cupcakes next time! What do you two think?" Oh boy, she was still at it.

"Could I help with that?" A very playful and sweet sounding voice suddenly said, startling the trio.

"Garnet, this isn't funny any... more?" Pearl grumbled as she turned around with the rest of her family, only to realize that the source of the voice was someone entirely different.

"What was the cake like?" Rose asked.

"How long were you standing behind us?!" Pearl was embarrassed that she could be snuck upon so easily, but Greg's reaction was completely different. His heart began to race the moment his eyes stared right into the woman he last saw more than a decade ago. When he first saw her back then, he thought that she was an angel of sorts. Now that he knows just how much this lovely, kind looking woman hurt his beloved Blue, he couldn't help but want to run away, while another another part of him actually wanted to confront her, even though that was a monumentally stupid idea. God, this was weird.

"Hey..." The former musician waved at her nervously.

"Wait," This man was completely different from the one she met so long ago, even though his voice was the same. "Mr. Universe?"

"It's been a while, right?"

"I... yes! A very, very long while indeed..." The pink-haired woman said as she somehow scratched the back of her head despite all that hair that stood in the way. "So, uh, how are you?" She asked. "Do you still sing?"

The interaction became a lot more awkward than either of them anticipated.

"I'm fine, thanks, and no, I don't sing anymore. Not for a living, anyway." Came the response.

They then just stood looking at each other, and even Pearl couldn't help but feel embarrassed on behalf of these two. So distracted the three adults were that they didn't notice Steven taking a few fearful steps backward, away from Rose. His dream was still a very vivid memory.

The awkwardness finally ended when Garnet, (other) Pearl and Amethyst all emerged from the temple door at the same time, accidentally stumbling onto the scene. "Are we interrupting something private? D'ya want us to leave?" The latter asked, snickering.

"Please don't..." Greg and Rose, both as red as tomatoes, said at the same time.

"You're early." Garnet stated, shifting the focus of the conversation to everyone's relief. "And with an unexpected partner."

"Don't worry, I won't meddle with your mission or anything. I'm -"

"Greg Universe, yes. I am Garnet, and this is Pearl." The fusion said flatly.

Steven could feel the hair on his neck stand up just from looking at her. Although she was talking with Greg right now, he just **knew** that most of her attention was focused toward him, analyzing every single thing she saw, and that wasn't everything. The more the hybrid thought, the more he realized that she looked almost perfectly like that strange, childish, cotton candy colored woman from his dream: big lips, wide hips, long, thin arms, the same voice and, most importantly, a square shaped afro. The only thing left to confirm was if Garnet had three eyes.

The boy could feel (other) Pearl and Amethyst reading him too, the former putting a lot more effort on it than the latter. God, he felt like he was being undressed.

 _I need to stay calm, I can't even hear what they're all saying!_ He thought. If he lost control now...

"So, does this mean we can go already?" Amethyst asked. What was she talking about?

"I don't see why not." Rose answered.

"Very well." Pearl said.

"So this is it, huh? I'll miss you guys badly, take care of yourselves." Greg said.

"The feeling is mutual." The blue gem replied. "Right, Steven?"

Steven suddenly snapped out of his thoughts. "Wh-what? Go, go where? Take care? Miss who?" He blurted out like he had just woken up, blinking his eyes and scratching his head.

"Bro, you ain't going anywhere." Amethyst replied. "Were you spacin' out again? You don't look anywhere near as happy as I thought you'd be." She asked.

"Sorry ma'am, I guess I was. I just had a bad dream last night, that's all." The boy answered while looking at the ground in shame. "What are we gonna do again?" He asked.

Amethyst's bullshit detector went off immediately, but she knew that it was better to have Steven to coming clean on his own was a better solution than trying to force him to be honest, at least for now, so she let it slide.

"Allow me to repeat it then." Pearl said. "I, Rose, Garnet and Amethyst will go on a special mission that will last a week."

"Meanwhile, we both will stay here, so I can train you. Understood?" (other) Pearl finished.

 _I'll be left alone with **her** for a WEEK?!_ Steven wanted to scream right now. Garnet was still intimidating to him, but not as much as she used to be, and Rose at least had a kind looking appearance, even if she was quite powerful. (other) Pearl, on the other hand, terrified the boy, considering that he now knew just what she was capable of, thanks to his nightmare. His first impression of the pale, thin and intelligent woman was right: she was a fast, precise and deadly predator, and her complete lack of knowledge of human customs, even a simple handshake, made her even more dangerous.

But he had to keep up an appearance. Could he?

"But wait, you guys will come back every now and then, right?" He asked to Greg and Pearl in particular. He couldn't keep it up completely, not that it mattered much since the rebels were already on to his trick. But his parents weren't.

"I'm sorry, my darling, but this mission is too important to be interrupted." Pearl said.

"And I gotta take care of home, plus I can't warp like you gems do, no matter how much I want to. But I'll call you every once in a while, that's a promise." Greg said, putting a hand on his son's shoulder to reassure him.

"Oh, I almost forgot to give you your notebook! Here's an eraser and an extra pencil, too." Pearl said while summoning the objects in question from her gem.

"I love you guys, I'll miss you so much..." Steven said before hugging his parents, who promptly returned the gesture. He was about to cry, not only out because he would miss the two very badly, but also because of how afraid and vulnerable he was right now. He held the tears back at the last second: he couldn't show any more weakness right now, not with the Crystal Gems around.

Finally, it was time for everyone to say goodbye. Rose, Pearl, Garnet and Amethyst got on top of the warp pad, Greg coming along so he could go back to Seoul. After one last farewell, they all disappeared.

The boy turned toward his new guardian slowly and carefully, fearing the consequences of doing so much as looking at her wrong. "Wh-what do we do now, ma'am?" He asked with a shaky voice.

"'We'? Please. **You** will meet me here at 2:00 PM so I can take you to your training area. Until then, you are free to do whatever it is you want." (other) Pearl answered, her voice dry, methodical and just the smallest bit hostile. "This means you have approximately five hours left. Do not make me wait." She finished.

Steven nodded before setting off into the beach and then the town. Oh, how he wanted these five hours to last forever...

\------------------

It turned out that he wasn't anywhere near as free as (other) Pearl said he would be. The boy could feel her watching him from far away, silently drilling holes into the back of his head with her sharp glare, as soon as he got into Beach City. The worst of it all was that she wasn't trying to protect him or anything like that, but the exact opposite, to leap in as soon as he did anything remotely threatening. She was less a guardian and more of a straightjacket, really.

In time, the hybrid's fear was replaced by the crushing weight of boredom. What was he supposed to do in this place? He was illiterate and had no friends to speak of. Sure, he had been introduced to people like Lars, Sadie, Mr. Fryman, Mr. Smiley and a ton of others, but he just knew their names and only saw them once. Actually...

 _It'll take some time until Pearl can give me a proper English lesson. Maybe I can teach myself for a while?_ He thought. That was a great idea, in fact. Temporarily, but not completely, forgetting the fact he was being watched, Steven grabbed his notebook and pencil, intending to write the English names of the places he saw, associating them with Korean words he felt were the most appropriate. And so the boy set off with renewed resolve, for he finally had something to do.

It didn't feel as good as writing poetry, but it exercised his creativity a bit.

And so he began to scribble.

"The Big Donut" was a bakery.

"Fish Stew Pizza" was a pizza place.

"Beach Citywalk Fries" was a french fries themed restaurant.

More and more words were put into paper as he walked around the little town. Alright, he was getting somewhere! What began as mere scribbles began to give way to very genuine and intimate verses that would likely not be read by anyone except the author himself. They condemned the cruel position he was put in, how he was forced away from his family and was being watched like a criminal that was about to attack, how alone he felt in the world, how he wanted to, but couldn't, tell his parents that he knew the Crystal Gems weren't their friends, how sorry he was for spying on them, among other things.

"Alright, this is getting a little too depressing." The boy muttered to himself. "And I could use a snack..."

He wasn't going to the Big Donut, the cake Greg and Pearl made filled the sugar quota for the day, nor would he order and then eat an entire pizza all alone. Fries it is, then.

Thus, he made his way to Beach Citywalk Fries... and began hearing someone screaming in pure terror.

"GET THEM OFF ME! SOMEONE GET THEM OFF ME PLEASE!" The person, likely a young boy, screamed as if he was about to be murdered, and Steven rushed into the scene. Though he didn't know how to fight, he could at least provide a distraction or, if the situation got dire, a meat shield. Besides, (other) Pearl would surely leap into action if things got out of control.

"AAAH!" The hybrid's eyes were greeted by what was probably the scariest costume he had ever seen (a bucket of fries with a big smiling face), and as said costume began to run in his direction, he couldn't help but scream.

"HELP!" Came the cry from whoever was in that... thing. It was then that Steven realized that the unlucky person was being attacked by multiple squawking seagulls who thought that the mascot's "hair" was made out of real food. The occupant then removed the suit's head and swung it at the birds, shooing them away for now and revealing that he was a boy with blond, wavy hair that resembled stick fries, and who couldn't be much older than Steven was. Judging by his very tired expression, it clearly wasn't the first time he had to do something like this.

As soon as that was done, Mr. Fryman opened the establishment's back door, the hybrid quickly realizing that he and this 'fry-boy' were almost certainly relatives. "Argh, where's your face, Frybo? Being part of the Fryman family means you gotta sell fries! And be my son, which you are." He said, 'fry-boy' sighing in response to his father's last remark. "So, you're half way there. Keep at it, Frybo!"

"I'm PE-"

Slam.

"...dee." Another sigh.

"Um, hello?" Steven asked.

Peedee looked at the stranger in blue clothes with weary eyes that shouldn't belong to someone his age. "What do you want?" He asked before correcting himself. "Sorry, all these darned seagulls are getting on my nerves. Aren't you that kid whose dad's also a friend of my dad? I thought you were a tourist."

"It's a... bit more complicated than that." The hybrid replied with an understatement. "My name's Steven, by the way."

"Mine's Peedee, Peedee Fryman. Do you need something?"

"I was hoping to get some fries, but..." Steven began, "Sorry for asking, but aren't you a bit young to be doing something like this? Shouldn't you be in, like, school?"

"Dude, we're in the middle of summer, and besides, I asked for this." Peedee answered. "I just didn't know being part of the Fryman family business meant getting stuck in a sweaty old costume. If I did..."

"I was homeschooled, sorry." The hybrid interrupted his fellow child's reasoning before it got too depressing. Steven felt like he was looking at himself in a mirror right now. "Could I help you somehow? Maybe wear this thing in your place for a while?"

"You would do that? For real?" The fryboy's eyes lit up.

"Sure!"

Peedee eagerly got out of the Frybo suit and let Steven take his place.

"So, what do I do?" The hybrid asked, smiling.

"Do a little dance or something like that!"

"OkaAAAAAH!" The seagulls came back and attacked the costume once more, Steven desperately running around to get away from them until he finally got out. Not realizing that it was made out of fabric that was very much not edible despite biting it multiple times, the white birds continued to tear pieces of fabric out of the now empty suit.

"Wow. Just when I thought I wasn't so useless..." Steven forced a laugh so he wouldn't cry, before moving on. "Sorry for wasting your time like that, Peedee. You really should get back in that thing before your dad sees you."

"Wait, you're just gonna leave?" Peedee asked, stopping Steven in his tracks. "Uh, I mean, weren't you going to get some fries?"

"I'm..." The hybrid began, clenching his fists in frustration with the whole situation before relaxing just a little bit. "...not hungry anymore."

"Wait!"

 **"What?!"** Steven snarled, the ground below him freezing up a little before he, horrified, realized what he had just done.

"I..." Peedee began, but was interrupted.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to act like that, I swear!" Tears began to flow from the hybrid's eyes, and before Peedee realized it, he was crying as well, even though he didn't want to.

"Dude, it's alright! I just wanted to thank you!" The fryboy tried to calm Steven down.

"Why? I didn't even help!"

"But you tried!"

"Get away from me, I'm just going to hurt you!"

"SNAP OUT OF IT!" Peedee grabbed the hybrid's shoulders before shaking him up. "You're not gonna hurt me." He said, letting go once Steven got somewhat of a grip on himself.

"How do you know?" Steven sobbed.

"I have no idea. This might sound a bit weird, but I kinda just know you're a nice person. Heck, you could've moved on after seeing me, and instead you tried to help!" Peedee said. "Like, we don't even know each other! You had no reason to do it, but you just did it anyway!"

"Well, we **do** know each other now." The hybrid snickered, holding back a tear. "Guess I'm getting those fries after all."

Steven then hugged his friend -his first real one, at least- before walking back to the restaurant and making an order.

\------------------

"Impressive." The pale, stone-faced guardian began. "You've come back here in the exact time I asked you to. I suppose this means you're ready to be trained, yes?"

Steven really wanted to give some sarcastic reply right now, but he wasn't stupid enough to provoke someone who could cut him to pieces in the blink of an eye. "Indeed I am, ma'am." He stated plainly.

After that, the pair climbed up onto the warp pad, which took them to the very last place the half-Diamond wanted to see: a sky arena. Although it wasn't identical to the one from his nightmare (and in a much more deteriorated state) it was similar enough to make him gasp, a gesture that (other) Pearl noticed right away.

"Hm?" She asked, her wary eyes analyzing every inch of the hybrid's body.

"It's just that... where are we?" Steven replied.

"Good question. We are currently standing on an arena floating very far above the ground." She answered the boy's question and then pointed to the wide, flat area connected to the staircase they were standing on. "And that is where you training will be conducted. Any questions?"

"None, ma'am." The pair then descended onto the arena step by step, walking until they were right in the middle.

"Normally, a training session such as this would start, first and foremost, with a bow." (other) Pearl began. "However, it has become clear to me that this custom may be outdated. So instead..." She offered Steven her hand for him to shake. "... we shall begin it like this."

There was something off with her expression, but the boy decided to play along, extending his own arm to greet the instructor...

... Before being punched right in the gut.

Gasping as he felt the air being forced out of his lungs, Steven collapsed on the ground, trying with all his might to not black out right there and then. Taking fast, ragged and desperate breaths, he could hear the pale woman speaking.

"Lesson number One: never lower your guard. Lesson number Two!" She put one of her feet on Steven's back, firmly pinning him to the ground. "No matter what happens, **always** stay on your feet. Should you fall..." She slowly added more pressure. "... you may never get up. Understood?"

A nod. How was he even awake right now?

"Very well." She let go, and Steven began to take ragged, desperate breaths after that. Slowly recovering his full consciousness and getting back on his feet, the boy saw that his instructor was drawing a large circle on the ground with a piece of white chalk. He wondered what it was for.

His internal question was soon answered as the pale gem stood up and looked right into his eyes. She was still reading him, wasn't she? He wondered what she was seeing right now. "You will run along the line of this circumference for an hour, with no interruptions." She stated.

Before the teacher could ask him if he understood or not, Steven walked until he was right above the the line and began to jog.

"Faster!" She shouted.

He obeyed.

"Faster!" She shouted again, minutes later.

He obeyed again.

**"Faster!"**

_Does she think I'm an athlete?! She's completely unreasonable!_ Steven screamed internally, wishing that his legs weren't so stubby. His muscles were beginning to ache, and his irregular breathing didn't help. This 'teacher' was bonkers, there was no way she could think she thought he could succeed, unless...

 _Unless she doesn't actually want me to! That's it!_ The boy's eyes widened in realization. _She wants me to hold myself back and feel weak and intimidated, that's why she talks and acts the way she does! She wants to scare me away, to convince me that I can't fight, that I'm too weak for this! And why? Because she's scared of me, they all are!_ He concluded.

 _But if she thinks that's going to stop me..._ Steven's body was filled with a wave of pure determination he had never felt before. Clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, he began to pick up speed once again. The pain and fatigue didn't go away, and, just as he suspected, the complaints came back.

Too bad. He wasn't just going to pass this test, he was going to do it with flying colors.

Steven didn't see it, but a small smile began to form on (other) Pearl's face. Her method was working: the student's body would be thoroughly overworked until its very limits in a series of excruciating exercises, only to be completely healed after reaching a state near death with a vial full of Rose's magical tears. It wasn't the perfect approach, but it brought very good results very quickly. Besides, her blue counterpart told her not to worry too much, and even if things did get out of hand, she was confident she could put the situation back under control in no time.

Not that things would ever get that bad, since Steven had shown promising signs that he was a good person after all. Why else would he help a complete stranger?

She had forgotten she was dealing with a Diamond.

\------------------

After the running, he had to do one hundred push-ups. He had never done even a single one of those before, he wanted to say, but he still obeyed. As he clumsily did what he was told, the hybrid wondered why his instructor was pushing him so hard if her true intention was to scare him away. Wouldn't it be much easier for her to simply make up some convincing excuse involving his very unusual biology, or did she think he was too smart for something like that?

The hybrid asked himself why he kept playing along, anyway. Didn't he receive a very nasty warning of what could happen if he got through with this last night? No, the pale gem was getting into his head.

Pearl and Greg were counting on him. What would he say to them if he gave up? 'Sorry, I had a nightmare where I did this and that'?

Besides, what was the alternative? Spend the rest of his life running away from **seagulls** , of all creatures, and being unable to help people like Peedee because of that?

Absolutely not!

After the push-ups, came the curls, (other) Pearl summoning a pair of small lead weights that weighed five kilograms each. If Steven thought this simple exercise would be any easier, he was sorely disappointed. His biceps began to hurt after repeating the same exact lifting motion for the tenth time.

And he had to do one hundred of them, too...

No matter. Through sheer willpower, and fueled by a mysterious fire whose heat he felt deep within his gem, the hybrid pressed onward.

One hundred squats. The fire was beginning to go out, and the pain becoming a bit to strong to ignore, but Steven felt he didn't have a choice anymore.

 _What did I do to deserve this?_ The boy asked himself. Though his expression didn't change, resentment began to set in, slowly clouding his mind. That resentment began to contaminate his teacher, too, thanks to his emotional powers.

But he didn't know that. How could he?

One hundred jumping jacks.

(other) Pearl's treatment of him changed from harsh but somewhat understandable to unquestionably abusive. Steven had been exercising continuously for at least three hours now, and every single misstep was punished without mercy. The hybrid was now convinced that his teacher, instead of scaring him away, intended to work him to death, and resentment gave way to hatred.

Had she been fully aware of what she was doing, she would've been horrified. But she wasn't, for Steven's hatred had clouded her mind, too.

One hundred sit-ups.

Although every single organ, muscle and bone in Steven's body screamed in pain nonstop, he didn't feel anything anymore. No, the only thing he felt was that he was... cold. Way, way too cold. The voices were begging him to do something, **anything** , to stop this madness. And the blank, silent boy was all to eager to give in to what they had to say, what they urged him to do.

This wasn't a training session anymore, but a disaster waiting to happen.

And it did. Something suddenly distracted (other) Pearl, which gave Steven an opportunity to quickly get up on his feet (somehow) and summon a bright, glowing white orb exactly like he did in his nightmare. Before the pale teacher could react, the hybrid threw it at her with all his strength, hoping to hit her forehead and, thus, her gem. The orb hit her jaw instead, exploding with tremendous force as it did so, sending flying her back a few meters. The instructor was now lying on the floor, completely vulnerable.

But before Steven could capitalize on this, he suddenly came back to his senses and, realizing what he had just done, collapsed on the ground as if he were made of lead. Every single inch of the hybrid's body was hurting, refusing to obey his commands, even his eyelids, which were firmly shut. Heck, he wasn't sure he was breathing right now.

 _I did it,_ The boy thought, _I actually did it!_

He had tried to kill someone.

Steven couldn't even cry, he was just too exhausted for that. All he could do was just lie on the sky arena's floor like a corpse. Unable to see what was going on, but hearing (other) Pearl get back on her feet and walk in his direction, he was sure he would soon turn into a real one.

The boy then heard what sounded like a vial being opened, before an unknown liquid made its way into his mouth and down his throat. What was it, some kind of poison? It didn't matter, he was too weak to spit it out. Slowly, oh so very slowly, the pain began to go away, and he managed to open his eyes, which were greeted by a very familiar face.

"... Pearl?" He asked.

"OH THANK THE STARS YOU'RE OKAY!" (other) Pearl, who was on the verge of tears, shouted. "Wh - what was I thinking?! I, I'm-"

Still believing that his death was imminent, Steven scurried away from the pale gem as fast as he could, looking at her like a terrified animal. Upon seeing this, she looked away and hung her head and shoulders low, completely ashamed of herself. "Of course you would react like this. Of course..."

Wait a minute. Did he just move? He couldn't do so much as open his eyes just moments before, what was going on?

Testing his strength, Steven slowly got up on his feet, to his astonishment. "Hey! What did you do to me?!" The boy asked from a distance.

"..."

"I asked you a question!"

(other) Pearl slowly turned around and looked at Steven with heavy, guilty eyes, rather than the cold and methodical ones he was used to. "I gave you a vial full of Rose's tears, your body should be completely healed by now." She began. "My plan was to make you push and overcome your limits, healing your body once it was pushed to its breaking point. Then the procedure would be repeated with every session, each one pushing your limits further and further, to the point where you could run for an hour, with no interruptions, without breaking a sweat." She finished.

"But this... this wasn't supposed to happen. What was going on in my head?! Why did I mistreat you so horribly?! That wasn't part of the plan!" She asked herself, looking at Steven like she had committed a horrible crime.

Everything made sense to the boy now. She wasn't trying to scare or kill him, she wanted to push him to the limit, while also teaching some very valuable lessons. After all, fighting wasn't a game, but a matter of life and death, something that Steven knew from experience thanks to what happened in the Great North. But something had happened, and he knew exactly what it was.

Steven slowly and calmly approached the thin woman who, somehow seeming even paler than she usually was, refused to look at him. It was quite the role reversal.

"Ma'am, I don't want to train anymore." He stated.

"That is perfectly and completely understandable. You don't have to forgive me, not at all, but I'm sorry that this happened to you." (other) Pearl began. "I can take you back to your home if you want. After this week is over, I'll make sure either Garnet or Rose are available to teach you regularly."

"No, you didn't understand. I don't want to train, period."

"What?! You can't be serious!"

"I've never been so serious in my entire life, ma'am."

"You can't! What happened here was my fault and mine alone! You ha-"

"STOP ACTING STUPID, YOU KNOW THAT'S NOT THE REAL REASON!" Steven lashed out. "YOU KNOW IT, I KNOW IT, EVERYONE KNOWS IT! IF YOU DIDN'T, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE STALKED ME FOR THOSE FIVE HOURS!" The ground beneath the boy's feet was frozen solid, sharp icicles erupting from it. "See?" He said, pointing to those same icicles. "I'm dangerous. The only reason you're still alive right now is because I am weak. Who knows what I could do if I was strong?"

"B-but you acted in self defense, I was the aggressor here!" (other) Pearl replied.

"I know myself very well, thank you very much. Here, I'll tell you exactly what happened." Steven began. "I got angry, and because of my f... damned emotion powers, you got angry too. I then began to resent, hate and want to kill you, and you unknowingly began to get those feelings too. I blinded you, simple as that." He then turned around, walking toward and sitting on one of the staircase's steps, (other) Pearl following him at a distance.

The hybrid sighed loudly before burying his head in his hands. "I was so, so happy when I saw Rose on that beach. I thought 'Wow, another gem! Maybe I won't feel so alone now!'. How naive of me, right?" He was unloading his biggest secrets to someone who was probably the last person who should hear them, but at this point he didn't care. "But then I heard Pearl talking to Dad about her, calling her a monster among many other things. I began to fear you guys would try to murder her while I was asleep or something." The pale teacher listened, eyes widening. "That was why I wanted to train so bad, to protect her and Dad from you. But who's going to protect the world from me?!"

Steven finally looked at her with pleading eyes. "So please, let's just get out of here and forget this ever happened."

"...Right away." And with that, both began to climb to the warp pad.

Until something on the arena's grandstand caught (other) Pearl's eye, and she went in to retrieve it.

"Where are you going?" Steven asked, following her.

"Oh, it's just that I saw something unusual." She said before picking up what looked like a VHS tape. "It's... a black rectangle?"

"What the heck is a video tape doing here?" Steven said.

"Wait, video? You mean this is some sort of information storage device?"

"That's... a bit complicated, but pretty much. You put it in a recorder, and it shows you a video." The boy explained. "There are some weird letters written on it, I can't read them."

"Hm?" (other) Pearl said before flipping the tape over, eyes suddenly widening when she saw what was written on it.

"Okay, judging by that look you definitely understand it. What does it say?"

"'For Steven'." Came the reply.

"Huh?" Steven asked in disbelief.

"It says 'For Steven'. Whoever left this thing in here wanted you to see what is within it. Does your home have one of those recorders you talked about?"

"I don't think we'll have to go that far."

\------------------

Back in Beach Citywalk Fries...

Peedee was about to lock the door of the restaurant when Steven and (other) Pearl suddenly appeared behind him.

"Hey Peedee!" The hybrid exclaimed, startling his friend?

"Steven?! Sorry dude, but were closed." The fryboy replied, thinking that Steven wanted more fries. "Hey, who's the lady?" He asked, looking at the pale gem, who did nothing except smile awkwardly.

"She's my... babysitter, in a way. It's a long story."

"Uh huh." Peedee replied, not believing him one bit. "Like I said before, we're closed. I can write your order down if you want to get something tomorrow, though."

"Actually, that's not what I'm looking for right now. Would you happen to have a tape recorder?" Steven asked, (other) Pearl summoning the tape in question from her gem.

"Okay, sure, but it's not a super long video, is it?"

"Hopefully not, I've never seen this thing before."

Peedee sighed but let the pair in, guiding them to a room that had a small television and a tape recorder beneath it.

"It's not much, but it'll have to do. I just hope it's still working..."

"Oh Peedee, it's more than enough!" Steven hugged his friend.

"Want me to leave you two alone while you watch it?" The fryboy asked.

"Um..." Steven and (other) Pearl looked at each other nervously. "... do you mind?" They said at the same time.

"As long as you two don't stay here for a long time, no. Please do it already, I can't lock you guys in." Peedee said before leaving the two alone.

"Okay, you heard him. Let's do it!" The hybrid said to the pale woman, who put the tape in the recorder and turned on the TV.

*BZZZZT*

A wide, grassy, windswept landscape appears on the screen. Some hills are visible.

*BZZZZT*

A close up of the last scene, this time focused on some wild flowers. Though there aren't many types and colors, their simplicity is still very beautiful.

"What is that place?" Steven thought aloud. (other) Pearl watched the TV, not uttering a word.

*BZZZZT*

Greg suddenly shows up on the screen, doing some funny dance that makes Steven giggle. Though he already had his beard, he was noticeably younger, having more hair and fewer wrinkles on his face.

"What are you doing?" A lovely feminine voice the hybrid never heard before, probably the person holding the camera, asked while giggling. She had a distinctive accent.

"That voice..." The white gem muttered.

*BZZZZT*

A nervous Greg appeared.

"Come on..." The mysterious woman said.

"Hang on, I'm having stage fright here." He replied, scratching the back of his neck.

"Tell him about yourself."

"Um, okay. So, my name is Greg and - hey wait a minute, this is all wrong!"

*BZZZZT*

"Okay... now!"

The camera, until then focused on the ground, was suddenly lifted up, revealing Greg, who now sported a pair of sunglasses and a wooden guitar.

"They call me... *riff* Mister Universe! Get ready baby, you're gonna have the coolest dad on this side of the cosmos!"

Steven smiled as he saw his father then just play around with the instrument like the goofball he was, making all sorts of funny sounds.

"Press the button, Blue." The musician said.

Steven's jaw dropped when he heard the name. Blue? As in Blue Diamond?

"Uh... which one?" The woman asked.

"... Any of them?"

The screen was suddenly filled with all sorts of colorful special effects showing up, from stars to hearts and many others.

*BZZZZT*

Greg was feeding a wild rabbit.

"Greg made a friend..." The giggling woman said.

Then the furry animal suddenly jumped on the musician's lap, startling him, before going on its own way. The giggles turned into guffaws.

*BZZZZT*

"This is a beautiful world, isn't it, Steven?" The woman began. "Everything changes so quickly... So many people, so many animals, so many different things, and none of the stand still! Each one of them is just so unique!" She went on. "Everyone grows, changes, does this and that, they aren't bound by anyone! They're free to do what they choose, and no once can force them not to! I can't wait for you to join them..."

The camera was then turned by 180 degrees, revealing that the person was holding it, in fact, Blue Diamond.

"Mom!" Steven exclaimed while (other) Pearl gasped.

"Steven, we can't both exist. I wish I could be there for you, **with** you, but that's just not possible. But still, I want you to know that I love you so, so much that I honestly can't put it into words!" She was smiling, her blue eyes shining with tears that were being just barely held back. "You will be in more than capable hands, that I am sure of. Greg and Pearl love you very, very much, and I can't put just how much they do into words either, it wouldn't do justice to either of them."

"You are going to be something extraordinary, Steven. In time, you will make your own choices, just like everyone here! I wish I could know what you would do... but that's a mystery, just like this entire world."

The boy was holding back his own tears, and (other) Pearl couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Blue! C'mon!" Greg called from a distance.

"Oh Steven, there is so much for you to learn... Take care of them."

And with that, Blue Diamond walked to where Greg was before stopping when she was right at his side. Steven couldn't believe his eyes: his mother, who he remembered being so unbelievably immense, was "just" head and shoulders above his father. Still tall, around two and a half meters, but a lot more approachable than he thought. She also looked a lot more casual, too, wearing a light pink T-shirt, simple jeans and sandals.

That was when the hybrid realized that he didn't need to be big or anything unreasonable like that, he just had to be himself. And just like that, Steven felt an immense weight being lifted from his shoulders.

Right when the couple was about to kiss...

*BZZZZT*

The video ended.

Peedee entered the room. "Hey, are you guys done? I know it's been just, like, five minutes, but it's getting dark and-"

Seeing that both (other) Pearl and the hybrid were about to cry, he just slowly backed away.

The pair silently left the restaurant moments later, Steven giving Peedee a very tight hug.

"What in the world did you guys watch?" The fryboy's question went unanswered, the woman and the hybrid now walking to the temple without saying a word.

\------------------

A few minutes later, in the temple...

"What are we going to do now?" Steven asked.

"Well, I'll take you back to your home and eventually explain everything to the others." Came the reply.

"That was not what I meant, Teacher. What will be our next exercises?"

(other) Pearl's eyes lit up. "Wh-what?" Did he just call her 'Teacher'? "You, you're not serious, are you? Please just say it already."

"Oh, I'm 100% serious, ma'am! And this time for real!" Steven said.

"Why the sudden change?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I realized that I can't be afraid of myself forever. If I can't help and protect the people I love, who will do that for me?" The boy replied.

"Is that it? Who would protect the world from you?"

"I will. I can do it."

"Say again?"

"I can do it."

"I didn't hear you."

 **"I can do it!"** Steven exclaimed, his voice full of genuine determination.

(other) Pearl's expression and body quickly straightened back into the cold, almost mechanical form Steven was so used to. "I will remind you," She began with a threatening voice, "that this will not be fun in any way, shape or form. I will bring out the best in you, including that fearsome, mighty anger of yours, and turn it into something that will help you protect your loved ones. However!" She shouted. "I accept nothing short of excellence from anyone who chooses to become one of my students. By the end of this week, you will be practically unrecognizable."

The pale gem then extended her hand. "Are you truly ready?"

Steven extended his own arm, this time ready to block any punch of hers, but (other) Pearl instead swung her right leg at the boy's side in the blink of an eye. But then something incredible happened, something that made her grin from ear to ear.

Steven had blocked her kick. Not perfectly, no, but good enough so that she hit his left arm instead of his ribs.

Aware of what he had just done, the hybrid shot the pale woman a sharp smile, before straightening his expression and kneeling like a knight before his liege.

"I am ready now, Teacher." He said.

The pair then disappeared in a flash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: If I'm completely honest with you guys, I'm not very satisfied with this chapter. Do you think I could edit a bit or two?
> 
> I'm still angry that Peedee only had one episode focused on himself while his awful brother Ronaldo, who was probably the worst townie of them all, got like three or four. I intend to correct that here.
> 
> Also, I originally intended to have Steven meet Connie in this chapter as well, but then I realized that it would make it way, WAY too big.


	13. Sudden Opportunities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose, Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl set off on their search of parts to build the drill, the latter winning over a powerful new ally.
> 
> Steven, meanwhile, also makes a new friend during a break from his training.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I noticed that only one comment was made on the last chapter. Did I go too hard on the angst? Please tell me.
> 
> Garnet's behavior might seem a little OOC here, but I'll explain that in the end notes.

\------------------

After dropping Greg off so he could go back to the apartment, Pearl guided her allies to where her Diamond's palanquin stood, passing through a location that was quite... historically sensitive, to put it very mildly. Predictably, Rose, Garnet and Pearl didn't do so much as utter a word to each other.

Amethyst, on the other hand, didn't share her comrades' feelings, for she didn't know what this place meant to them. "Whoa..." She said, awed by the beautiful flowered vegetation that surrounded her. Judging by the proximity of the clouds and the wind, the group was definitely on a mountain, an assumption that was confirmed after the purple gem saw the horizon and noticed the rugged, forested terrain around them.

"Okay, so what happened here?" She asked. This place clearly had some significance in the war, and she was tired of being left in the dark.

"You'll see very soon." Rose quietly answered while the other two remained silent. The group then entered a clearing, a large, pink and decayed palanquin suddenly entering the view. It was clear that the ancient machine, which was covered in vegetation, had been abandoned there a long time ago. "It happened right here. Where I... broke her." The pink-haired woman said solemnly, clearly not wanting to talk about it.

Garnet and Pearl remained silent. Amethyst, who already disliked the depressing atmosphere, regretted even touching the subject. "We're close, right Bloop? Please say we are." She asked.

"We are. In fact, it's right behind these bushes." The blue gem told her friend with a small smile while pointing to some large bushes and shrubs that were conveniently just tall enough to hide whatever was behind them.

As soon as these last "obstacles" were crossed, the group's eyes were greeted by a new, much better maintained palanquin that was at least twice as large as the last one. A huge, imposing throne stood at its center, showing just how grand and important its original occupant was. It was also full of boxes and all sorts of junk.

"And here we are." Pearl said with a smile that was noticeably larger than her last one, as if she were excited to show it to her companions. Clearly, she too was looking for a break from the oppressive serenity that dominated the air. "The palanquin's main controls are on My Diamond's throne. All we need to do is get up there, check the map and decide where we'll start our search."

"We can't build a drill without, well, a drill, so we ought to start by going to the Kindergarten and see if one of those injectors is still functional." Rose proposed.

"That is obvious, but we might still find something that could be very useful to us. I did find many artifacts with through its sensors, as you can notice." The blue gem replied.

"If you say so."

"Uh, while you guys argue over where we should go, could I look around? I can't just not take a closer look at all this stuff." Amethyst asked.

"I must ask the same question, since my curiosity is getting the better of me." Garnet stepped in, to everyone's surprise.

Pearl wasn't happy about letting these two, especially the fusion, just go through her, her Diamond and Greg's personal belongings, but she had more important things to do. "... Sure. As long as you don't break anything..."

"Pffft, please. What's the worst that could happen? It's not like you've got some superweapon in here or anything, right?" The purple woman said.

"Nothing will happen, I will make sure of that." The fusion completed flatly.

Pearl gave Garnet a brief but very sharp glare, not trusting her word. "Very well." She replied before jumping on the throne and from there to its left arm. Rose, who also shot her tall subordinate a glare, but this time an inquisitive one, almost as if she were asking her a question telepathically, followed her ally. It was quite the sight, seeing two women, one after the other, leap at least five meters in the air without an effort and then easily reach their destination.

Once Pearl was where she wanted, she pressed some very large buttons, a perfect hologram of the Earth appearing before her and Rose soon after.

While her blue ally inspected the map looking for any anomalies that might be worth her attention, Rose couldn't help but get curious as well. "So, did you ever plan on bringing Steven here, before meeting us?" She asked.

"Of course I did." Pearl replied while examining the hologram, "But only after his fourteenth birthday, and he's still ten. Everything is unfolding at a much faster rate than I anticipated. I guess it's for the best, considering how happy he is right now." She smiled.

"That we can agree on. So, anything odd in there? By the Stars, even the glyphs changed a little." The pink-haired woman asked.

"Nothing at all. Kindergarten it is, then."

"By the way, do you mind if I asked you a question? I know we're in a hurry, but..." Rose asked, looking at the "floor" nervously.

"Oh?" Pearl said, surprised to see the mighty Rose Quartz act so timid and vulnerable, especially in front of a former enemy. "What is it?" She raised an eyebrow, a gesture that went unseen thanks to her bangs.

"What did it feel like, taking care of Steven since he was a baby? You know, doing stuff like swaddling him, holding him close to you and all that?"

"Wait, are you saying that you want to have a baby?"

"Well, I was curious for a time, yes. But the idea of taking care of someone who's so fragile, when so many things could easily go wrong, convinced me otherwise. How did you handle that kind of pressure?" The rebel leader looked like a curious child.

"Well let me begin by thanking the Stars' holy name that us gems don't need to sleep. Second, I couldn't have done it without Greg. Now, how do I begin..."

They weren't getting off that throne so soon.

\------------------

With Rose and Pearl distracted talking to each other, Garnet and Amethyst were effectively alone as they aimlessly wandered through more and more piles of neatly organized cardboard boxes and random gem artifacts. "Heck, this place's even bigger on the inside." The purple gem remarked before stopping and glancing at a particular box that caught her attention.

As she separated that singular box from the others and began opening it, the purple gem looked at Garnet, who had already opened one and was examining its contents. "Okay there, G, spit it out. What are you planning?" She asked.

"Family pictures." The square-haired woman replied flatly.

"Eh?" Amethyst approached her comrade, interested in seeing what she had found.

"This box is full of family pictures. Here, take a look." Garnet clarified herself and offered one of them to her teammate.

"Oh." Amethyst looked at the photo, which showed Blue Diamond (who looked a **lot** shorter and was wearing a white T-shirt with an UFO above her usual blue dress) with Greg and Pearl (who was wearing the same T-shirt), all of them smiling happily. The purple woman couldn't help but snicker at the pun.

Garnet was much less relaxed. "Hmph, I wish I could've met **this** side of her." She said, her voice betraying her feelings, while looking at another, older photo, this one featuring the deceased Diamond at her full size and a very tiny (and much younger) Greg relaxing on her weird hair loop. _Why did things have to be this way?_ The fusion asked herself, frustrated.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but what history did you two have together? I never got to know the details." Amethyst asked as she walked back to the box she had chosen earlier, opening it and seeing multiple video game cartridges and movie tapes. "Bloody hell, Bloop wasn't lying when she said the old lady was into videogames."

Garnet, too deep in her own thoughts, didn't answer.

"Wait, is that what I think it is?" Amethyst thought aloud as she saw something that caught her attention, hoping that her eyes weren't seeing too much. "Oh hell yes it is!" The starry-eyed purple woman exclaimed as she got her hands into one of her favorite horror films.

"What is it?" Garnet, who snapped out of her thoughts thanks to the noise, said while approaching her comrade, curious.

"Just one of the best scary movies ever made." The purple woman said while proudly showing her teammate a copy of _John Carpenter's The Thing_. "Man, I remember seeing it on the big screen with Vidalia back in the day, poor woman had no idea of what she was gonna watch. Gotta say, humans can be really creative with shapeshifting even if they can't do it for real."

"Interesting. I honestly wouldn't mind watching one of these once we get the spare time, but Sapphire's future vision would be an issue." The fusion, who had never seen a movie before (she passed what little free time she had meditating), remarked.

"Just don't spoil everything for the rest of us and we'll be fine." Came the response.

Garnet smirked in response, their little chat being interrupted soon after that.

"Hey, what are you two doing over there?" Rose called from a distance, the two subordinates walking to where she and Pearl were in response.

"Most importantly, neither of you broke anything, right?" The blue gem asked softly.

"You worry too much, everything's fine." Amethyst replied. "By the way Bloop, I gotta say you guys have an excellent taste in movies." She showed the horror tape in question to her friend, who almost jumped out of revulsion as soon as she recognized it.

"Ugh!" She exclaimed. "I could swear that we had gotten rid of that... thing." The purple rebel snickered at her unintentional pun. "My Diamond absolutely **hated** that movie. In hindsight, the monster probably reminded her of the Cluster..."

Now it was Garnet's turn to be disgusted. "Okay, change of plans. I am **not** watching that." She told Amethyst, who just shrugged and said "Your loss, mate" in response.

"*Ahem* Speaking of the Cluster..." Rose said, reminding the other three of what was at stake. "Me and... 'Bloop' over here decided that it would be best if we started everything by going to the Kindergarten. Once we get there, we find an injector that could still be functional and then dismantle it, taking its drill and any other useful parts from it. Thoughts?"

"There's like a million of those things in there, if that's all we have to do then we're going back home today. Fine to me." Amethyst replied.

Garnet didn't share her sentiment. "Not to me." She said.

"What's wrong?" Her leader asked.

"If we go there right now, we will **not** be welcomed there, I can see it."

"Prototypes? If so, how many?" Pearl asked.

"Too many." The fusion responded flatly.

"No matter, we can defeat them together. And you **will** need to face them eventually." The blue gem glanced at Garnet.

"I'd rather not."

"Not a choice."

"Enough, both of you." Rose intervened before the argument got too heated. "If going to the Prime Kindergarten is a bad idea right now, we can always go to Beta. Anything dangerous that could happen to us, Garnet?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary." The square-haired woman replied.

"Wait a sec, Beta Kindergarten?" Amethyst asked, but her question unfortunately went unheard.

"That place's conditions are significantly worse than Prime's! Our search for a functioning injector will be much more time consuming than necessary. Should there be any prototypes in there, since **her** future vision isn't always correct, we can and should face them before they go into the outside world. Who knows what they could do? People could get hurt!" Pearl argued, but she knew it was futile. Rose would take Garnet's word above her own any day of the week.

"It won't take as long as you think, and believe me, by the end of it you'll be very grateful." The fusion said with a slight hint of condescension in her voice, to the ire of the blue woman who just scowled silently.

"Hey! How come I never got to know that there's another Kindergarten here on Earth?" Amethyst protested.

"To be fair, you never asked." Rose replied.

"I... huh, you actually got a point." The purple subordinate sighed.

"Let's get this over with, we can't waste any more time." Pearl said, still angry that her word was disregarded so easily.

Minutes later, the four all exited the palanquin and made the long walk back to the warp pad.

\------------------

"Behold!" Pearl said, holding her arms up in fake drama, as soon as they got out of the warp stream. "... The Beta Kindergarten."

"I'm, um, kinda underwhelmed here." Amethyst said, completely unimpressed with the landscape, a ravine made out of bright red sandstone full of random holes and injectors that were seriously decayed. The sun shone above the group mercilessly and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky, meaning that they were surely in the middle of a desert.

"Predictable. Since Prime - the one you came from - was unusable thanks to the the outbreak of the war, we - Homeworld, I mean - decided to create an entirely new one to provide their armies with new soldiers. As you can see, this place... didn't perform according to our - I mean their - expectations." Pearl explained as the quartet began to explore the area.

"So, what happened to the gems that came from here?" The short purple woman asked as she saw the holes, which were completely unlike the nicely organized ones back where she was made.

"My Diamond believed that they reminded her of Pink, so she had many of them be put in the Human Zoo, which they guard from any intruders. Others... weren't so fortunate." Came the answer.

"Shattered?"

"Yes."

"But seriously now," Pearl changed the subject and raised her voice a little, "can any of you see a single injector that isn't completely useless? Because I can't." She finished and pointed at the few machines that could be seen, all of them too badly decayed to be useful. Clearly, this search would take a long time before it was completed.

Hours passed, and even the seemingly immovable sun began to set on the horizon. The team was still empty-handed, and there wasn't even a monster for them to fight. Well, other than a large, stupid six-eyed roadrunner thing that was defeated and bubbled in five seconds flat.

Boredom and frustration began to set in, and Pearl couldn't keep her mouth shut any longer.

"You know, we can always go back to the warp pad and from there to Prime." She suggested, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Or we can keep wasting time here."

"Anything you can see, Garnet?" Rose asked.

"We're almost there." Came the calm reply.

"Guess it's the latter..." The blue gem said. "You know, there's nothing wrong with admitting that you might've made a mistake." She faced Garnet, her tone simultaneously sarcastic and sincere.

"Everything is going according to what I've foreseen, and soon enough you'll be thanking me." The fusion, usually so silent and watchful, shot back with a smirk.

"Why, you-"

Once again, Rose intervened before an argument erupted. "We'll split up in pairs so we can explore a wider area. There aren't any threats here, so it's safe for us to do that, unlike last time." She shot the two gems a glare, but most of it was focused on her unusually provocative square-haired subordinate. "You go with me," she began, her voice stern, "while she goes with Amethyst. We'll regroup at the warp pad after three hours."

Internally, Garnet and her components were actually quite nervous. If her future vision, which was so far functioning perfectly, failed her at this critical moment, she would face the verbal smackdown of a gem lifetime as soon as she and her leader were alone.

Thankfully, today was her lucky day.

"Then before we do that..." Pearl started before summoning the mirror containing Lapis Lazuli from her gem. "You already know what I'm going to say. And before anything else, we're in the middle of a desert and there is absolutely no water **anywhere** near us, liquid or otherwise." The one eye that could be seen through her bangs burned with fiery determination.

She wasn't going to stop until she got what she wanted. Rose realized that, so she finally conceded. "Fine." She said before grabbing the mirror and shedding a single tear that completely fixed the gem that was bound to it. The crack was gone, and Pearl almost cried at the thought that she would finally free her friend. "But if anything bad happens because of this, you know who'll get the blame." The rebel leader said before handing the small prison back to the former slave.

As soon as that happened, Garnet sighed in relief just loud enough for everyone to hear her. Their jaws dropped out of astonishment as they realized what had probably gone through her head.

"You!" Pearl shouted as she approached the fusion. "You planned this, didn't you? You made us come here just so she agreed, right?" Her tone was both accusatory and on the verge of tears. "Well guess what, you were right all along!" The motherly gem said before giving Garnet a very tight hug. "I can't believe you just did this for me, you of all people! How am I supposed to even begin thanking you?" She began to shake, but the tears were held back at the last moment. She couldn't do that in front of them just yet.

"H-hey!" The square-haired woman certainly didn't expect to be hugged. "I wasn't lying when I said that there were too many monsters in the Prime Kindergarten for us to fight, but I..." She (they in this case, perhaps?) paused, looking for the right words to say. "I couldn't waste a potential opportunity to get her out of there. Perhaps I'm being naive and foolish, but I really couldn't just let her stay in that mirror, not when I could do something about it."

"She didn't do that because of the photos we saw, right?" Amethyst, still amazed, thought out loud.

"I hope you've foreseen what happens after she is set free." Rose told Garnet in a serious tone, crossing her arms.

"We'll gain a powerful ally today, ma'am. It's the most likely possibility." The fusion replied.

 _But not a certainty..._ Rose thought, worried. "So, what will you do now?" She asked Pearl after the latter let go of the hug.

"I'll go to a quiet area nearby, free Lapis and then inform her of what is going on. I'll tell her everything, from what happened in the war, to the Cluster, to Homeworld's current situation." Came the reply.

"Very well. Take all the time you need, we'll be waiting for you near the warp pad. I assume Prime should be all clear by now?" Rose said, authoritative.

"Not completely, but we can handle it this time." Garnet replied while Pearl set off and climbed up one of the cliffs with ease, disappearing from the Crystal Gems' sight.

Rose hoped her ally could convince Lapis Lazuli not to kill them all, because she could definitely do that on this planet.

\------------------

Thousands of kilometers away...

A new day had dawned on Beach City, and Steven was determined to make the most of the time he had left for now (around an hour) before he had to go back to the Sky Arena and continue his training under the careful eyes of (other) Pearl. Like yesterday, the pale teacher was watching him from a distance, although the hybrid believed that she behaved like this less because she was afraid/wary of him (she had actually become very friendly, by her standards) but rather because she was really shy.

Oh, he couldn't stop thinking about how good he felt since watching that video, and the other good things that happened yesterday. Sure, it started bad and almost became irreversibly so, but in the end the hybrid had made a new friend, one almost his age, no less, and removed a huge weight from his shoulders. The hybrid was happy, and it showed in the verses he was writing.

He was so happy he didn't watch where he was going. And eventually, the inevitable happened.

He bumped into another person, falling on the ground and dropping his notebook in the process. Before he even looked at the person in question, he had started unleashing a flurry of apologies. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't see where I was going, I'm sorry, uh..." Steven paused as his vision returned and he realized that the person he was talking to was a girl who was apparently just as surprised as he was at this 'incident'. "...Ma'am?" He finished.

The girl blushed out of embarrassment and began to apologize profusely as well. "N-no, I should be the one apologizing here! My airheaded self wasn't paying attention to..." She stopped after realizing that the hybrid wasn't paying attention to her. "...Hello?"

"No way." Steven said as he glanced at the manga that she had dropped on the ground. Surely, his eyes were betraying him? But they weren't, and he realized it when he looked at it more closely. "NO FREAKING WAY!" He began. "I've been waiting for this part to be turned into an anime for so long, I can't believe they sell it here too!" They hybrid continued, starstruck, as he enthusiastically grabbed the magazine.

But before Steven could look into its contents, he was interrupted.

"HEY!" The girl shouted before taking the precious magazine from his hands. "Don't spoil anything for me, I just bought that!"

Steven's emotions had gotten the better of him yet again, but luckily he hadn't done anything really bad this time. "S-sorry, I'm really sorry! It's just that I didn't expect to..." He paused after glancing at the girl, who looked really cute for some strange reason, said cuteness being enhanced by the fact she wore a pair of glasses. "... uh, nevermind." The biy finished before his cheeks went red, grabbing the notebook and pencil from the ground.

"Wait, hang on!" The girl said before Steven could go on his way, stopping him. "Sorry for shouting at you like that, I'm not... I guess you could say I don't really know how to talk to people, um... normally." She wasn't wrong.

"O-oh! Don't worry about it, I know exactly what you're talking about." Steven rubbed the back of his head nervously. Where were all these feelings coming from? "I guess you could say that, um, I keep this little guide on how to talk to people in my head, but then I forget everything when I need it the most." He didn't want to know what sort of powers his gem would activate if he got too embarrassed.

"So... you actually know what this is?" The girl showed him the manga again.

"Yeah!" Steven said enthusiastically, any reservations going out the window for now. "It's my favorite series. I can't understand a word that is written in there, but judging by the art style and the big shiny letters, it can't be anything else."

"But how don't you understand it if it's all in English?" The girl was intrigued.

"You see, I'm not from here, I'm actually from Korea."

This revelation made her raise an eyebrow. "You're a tourist? Why are you alone if you can't even read? And you're speaking it pretty nicely, too!"

"It's complicated. My name's Steven by the way, Steven Universe." He replied.

"Connie Maheswaran." The girl replied. "That's a funny surname you got there." She giggled.

"Heh, I got it from my dad." Steven giggled back. "By the way, do you live here?"

"Well, not exactly. My dad works for a lot of people as a security guard, so we move around a lot. We live close right now, though."

"Oh, my dad used to be a singer, but then he retired and started selling instruments. Now he retired from that too."

Connie's eyes widened in realization after she connected the dots. "Wait, is your dad Mr. Universe? My parents met during one of his shows!"

"Really?!" Steven said, starstruck once more. "Oh my God, I can't wait to tell him that! Knowing him, he'll love it!"

Connie couldn't believe her luck. She never expected to meet the son of the man who just as responsible to her birth as her own parents were, since they probably would've never met otherwise.

Steven, meanwhile, never expected to make a second human friend who was almost his age. This was going to be a good week after all...

\------------------

Meanwhile, in the desert near the Beta Kindergarten...

Pearl had walked far enough from the ravine to believe that she and her dear friend were truly alone at last. Though the sun had already set and temperatures declined drastically, the landscape remained completely dry, without even a plant nearby.

"This is it..." The former slave thought out loud before taking a deep, unnecessary breath and turning the mirror around, showing the now intact, teardrop-shaped gem trapped within. Putting her hand on said gem with the utmost care, she began to pull at it with all of her strength. The mirror didn't want to let go, but she wasn't going to give up now, not when she was so close.

Pearl was so focused on her task that she didn't notice the multiple small threads of groundwater slowly seeping up from deep within the earth, forming an intricate pattern that resembled an extremely complex snowflake. Once that pattern was completed, and after what seemed like an eternity, the mirror finally let go of its prisoner, exploding in the process.

Pearl watched in amazement as the glowing gem floated away from her hands before summoning a body made out of pure light to support it, as all gems do after reforming their physical forms. After this was done and the bright blue light died down, Lapis Lazuli plopped on the ground. She was finally free.

"Ugh..." She groaned.

"Lapis!" Pearl said while running to where she was. She then offered her hand, which Lapis readily accepted in order to get up on her feet more easily.

"You..." Lapis began after she found her footing. "You talked to me, you helped me! Thank you!" She looked straight into Pearl's eyes, full of gratitude. "But... who are you, really? What is a pearl doing here on her own? Judging by how you talked to those rebels, you're clearly not one of them. And what is that 'Cluster' you talked about? I have so many questions right now..."

"Don't worry, I'll answer all of them."

"So, what happened while I was out? I assume the Crystal Gems won the war since Rose is still alive, but there were definitely more of them than just those five." Lapis asked.

""Five? Oh right, Garnet." Pearl then proceeded to answer the question. "After Pink Diamond's shattering, My Diamond was driven into a deep depression and could no longer lead her court. Yellow led the Homeworld effort all by herself, but even she couldn't turn the tide. Thus, the decision was made to evacuate the planet and completely purge it, all who stayed gems being turned into wild animals. The mirror probably saved you from that fate, and Rose likely used her shield to save herself and the others."

"Wait, your... You're Blue Diamond's pearl?! Where is she?"

"She's... not with us anymore."

"Don't tell me she was shattered, too!"

"Thankfully, no." Pearl then paused, looking for the best way to explain the thousands of years that passed until she and her deceased owner met Greg, and what came after. "In the millenia that followed the war, My Diamond traveled from Earth to the Human Zoo and back, endlessly, often staying centuries in one of these places at a time, constantly mourning and regretting that she didn't do more to save Pink."

"And you stayed by her side?" Came the question.

"Always."

"Sorry for interrupting, go on."

"Then, eighteen years ago, a human named Greg Universe stumbled upon us by accident. My Diamond initially wanted to take him to the zoo as to keep him safe from this planet's impending destruction, but he talked her out of it. As time went on, they developed a relationship, until finally, ten years ago, she gave up her physical form so she could have a baby. Me and Greg have been taking care of that child, a gem-human hybrid named Steven Diamond Universe, ever since."

"Wait..." Lapis couldn't believe what she had just heard. "So let me get this straight." She began, outraged. "You're telling me that she abandoned her duties and killed herself to give life to some abomination? And you're taking care of it, with a human?!"

In the blink of an eye, Pearl lunged forward and grabbed Lapis by the collar of her sleeveless top before she could react. **"Listen to me, and listen good."** The former slave began with an icy voice, looking straight into the aristocrat's eyes. "You can say whatever you want about the Earth and those Crystal Gems, but the moment you insult Steven like that again, **I'll make you regret it.** Got it?"

"Oh, please tell me what you would do." Lapis said as two hands made out of water sprouted from deep beneath the sand and grabbed Pearl's feet, firmly pinning her to the ground. "I will not be threatened by a **pearl** , of all gems."

 _So this is how Amethyst must've felt when I insulted her..._ Pearl thought. "I don't know. The truth is that I, along with everyone else on this on this planet, am completely at your mercy. But I swear that I would find a way somehow." She said before letting go, and Lapis, satisfied that her power was acknowledged, did the same thing.

"You said something about this planet being about to be destroyed. What was that about?" Lapis asked.

"Centuries after the war, Homeworld created a geoweapon made out of millions of gem shards fused together. That weapon's name is the Cluster, and it is buried deep within the Earth's core. The moment it hatches, this entire planet will be shattered along with everyone living on it. I am working together with the Crystal Gems to prevent that." Came the answer.

"Let me guess: you want me to help the very people responsible for my imprisonment in order to save this nowhere planet?" Lapis said before summoning a pair of water wings from her back. "Because I would rather just go home."

"It's not your home anymore." Pearl began. "I'm sorry, but it's the truth. Homeworld is completely unrecognizable now. With Pink Diamond dead, My Diamond no longer fulfilling her duties and White Diamond... being White Diamond, large parts of it have fallen into disrepair, even if the technology has advanced remarkably well thanks to Yellow's efforts. Our court in particular has descayed spectacularly, with stagnation and corruption rampant, and I'm not even counting the colonies."

Lapis paused for a moment. She thought about disregarding her liberator's advice and flying anyway, but there was no reason to question Pearl's honesty and, besides, she owed her something, since she was the one who freed her after all. Clenching her fists and gritting her teeth in frustration at the situation she was in, Lapis called back her wings and sighed in resignation. "What do you want me to do?" She asked.

"First of all, I won't force you to do anything for me." Pearl began. "I forgot to tell you that Steven happens to have My Diamond's gem, and said gem's powers are starting to manifest themselves. One of these powers just so happens to be hydrokinesis."

"Really?" Lapis raised an eyebrow. "I never heard about Blue Diamond being able to manipulate water like my cut of gem does."

"Neither did I, not until I saw him moving small amounts of water from puddles on the ground into the air."

"So you want me to teach her?"

"Him." Pearl corrected.

"Huh? What's a 'him'?" Lapis never heard such a pronoun before.

"It's complicated and I'll explain it more thoroughly later, but Steven should be referred to as a 'he' instead of a 'she', 'his' instead of 'her', and so on."

"... Right. Back to the subject, assuming his gem has the kind of raw power that is expected from a Diamond, he could become extremely powerful if he gains the skill to manage it correctly." The aristocrat asked.

"I trust him enough that he will use said power for good."

"Good for who?"

"For all of us. He's a good person, and you'll realize that too after meeting him personally. I'm sure he would love to have you as a teacher." Pearl said confidently. "Also, I would love if you tried to pull him away from the orbit of the Crystal Gems, even if only a little bit. He idolizes them, sadly..." The former slave sighed. "Of course, you can't be too obvious about it, so just have fun, talk, things like that. If you want to, obviously.

"I assume you don't want me to antagonize them? Because that is way more difficult." Lapis asked, her voice dripping with disdain whenever she talked about the rebels.

"Unless Rose somehow has the intelligence of a pebble, which doesn't fit with her record, she won't order you around much and should be at least somewhat respectful. Garnet is the one who created the perfect situation for me to free you, so she won't be an issue either. Amethyst is vulgar, but she was made after the war so she has nothing to do with it." Pearl answered. "I'm more worried about their pearl. She's been extremely wary of me and Steven, almost as much as Garnet, and she's not with them right now. Hopefully, her opinion of us will change over time."

"Where is she?"

"Back at Beach City, training him how to fight. He begged for one of us to do so."

The aristocrat's eyes widened, but she decided not to ask any more questions. "Okay, I still have a lot of things left to ask you, such as why you thought leaving him alone with her was a good idea, but we're wasting time here."

"You're right, they're probably waiting for us near the warp pad. Follow me." Pearl said as she began to walk to the ravine.

"Excuse me, who said we're walking there?" Lapis said as she summoned her water wings once more. "I might still be a little wobbly right now, but I can definitely carry you. It's the least I can do for the person who freed me, so just tell me where to go."

Pearl smiled. "Thanks, and sorry for threatening you."

"I should be the one thanking you here." Lapis replied. "And, um, sorry for being so ungrateful. I mean, you free me from that mirror and then I insult one of your loved ones right after..." She rubbed the back of her head and looked at the ground in shame. "I do wonder what kind of person this 'Steven' of yours is like."

"Apology accepted. And don't worry, you'll love him."

With a smile on her face, Lapis grabbed her liberator's hands and took off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyway, I know Garnet's not one to make rash decisions like that, but I think that, since she's not the leader here, she listens to her heart more often than in canon.
> 
> Hooray for Connie and Lapis! I hope I can do their characters justice.
> 
> Also, Steven and Connie are weebs.
> 
> What did you all think? Comments are much appreciated.


	14. Do It For Her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven learns the importance of staying calm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I've got a Tumblr account named, you guessed it, vinization. Do you all think it would be a good idea for me to open an ask page there, once I learn how to do that?
> 
> And holy moly, 98 kudos and more than 2600 hits! I can't even begin to tell you guys how grateful I am for all your support.

\------------------

Steven spent almost all the free time he had left chatting with Connie, and he didn't even realize it. The two had a huge amount of things in common, such as their shared interest in everything related to anime and manga, as well as their social awkwardness, so it was quite refreshing for both of them to talk to someone who understood what they went through. The girl admitted that she was what people would call a bookworm, apologizing if she sounded too nerdy, to which the boy countered by saying that there was nothing wrong with it, before finally revealing his love for poetry. Some things stayed hidden: Steven didn't reveal that his mother was an alien, for example, and he could see that, the more he talked about himself, the more unhappy Connie seemed, for some reason.

Everything was very subtle, however, and by the time the hybrid noticed it he realized that he had to go to the temple. The two children waved each other goodbye, but not before giving one another their respective phone numbers. Even if texting was useless, at least they could call each other. The boy wished he had remembered to take Peedee's number back when he had the opportunity to do so yesterday, but at least he could always go to Beach Citywalk Fries. The hybrid knew that he would have to talk to the fryboy sooner or later, since he definitely had a lot of questions to ask.

 _Oh well, I can talk to him during my first break. It'll be almost lunchtime too..._ Steven thought as he walked down the beach and into the temple. Predictably, (other) Pearl was right there, waiting for him.

She was visibly content, her lips curled into a small but visible smile. "I saw you making a new friend today, Steven. Congratulations."

The hybrid bowed politely before replying. "Thank you, Teacher. I wouldn't have done that had I gone back home yesterday." He then asked a question. "What are we going to do today, ma'am?"

"Oh, that's a surprise." Came the answer before the pair warped their way to the Sky Arena.

Once they were on the center of their training ground, the pale teacher explained her plan. "At first, I wanted for this to be another day full of physical exercises, just like yesterday. However, I noticed that while you eventually began to practice each individual mode quite nicely, you had difficulty shifting from one to another. Thus, I've decided to speed things up, since such a delay can be the difference between life and death." She finished as she summoned a sabre from her gem, handing it over to her student.

"Wow..." Steven said impressed but also confused as he unseathed the weapon. "But this is completely different from what I want to use, ma'am."

"The sword is by far the simplest weapon for any warrior to use. If you can't at least wield it decently, you won't have a chance with something like a glaive." The teacher said. "Besides, it is always good to have a plan B if things don't go as intended. Now..."

(other) Pearl made a dramatic spin before summoning a gray, holographic version of herself from her gem, before giving the automaton a saber of its own.

"DO YOU WISH TO ENGAGE IN COMBAT?" The hologram asked as it made a fighting stance.

(other) Pearl returned to Steven's side before answering the question. "Let this be the perfect battle!" She said, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Uh, Teacher?" He asked nervously. The hologram seemed like the personification of what he thought his teacher was before his training began, cold and mechanical.

"YOU'VE ALREADY MADE A MISTAKE BY CHALLENGING ME!" It declared, eyes suddenly glowing red. Steven hoped he was worrying too much, but considering who his teacher was...

"May your swords decide!" She replied.

"Teacher?!" The surprised student turned his head to look at the pale instructor, hoping to get an explanation.

"That Holo-Pearl over there will be your first opponent." She said with a smirk on her face before turning and walking away. "Good luck..."

"Wait!" Steven wanted to follow her, hoping to get get a few tips or at least some reassurance, but then a thick white fog appeared out of nowhere, completely blocking his vision.

"Teacher!" The disoriented boy called while wandering the arena aimlessly, hearing no response.

"Teacher! Where are you?"

Silence. He was alone.

Suddenly, Steven heard what sounded like a person walking and ran to noise's source, smiling when he saw a figure that looked exactly like (other) Pearl. He immediately gasped in terror when said figure turned around and stared straight into the boy's soul with its menacing, glowing red eyes.

"OPENING DETECTED!" The automaton shouted before leaping at its target with its sword arm fully extended to the front, clearly going for a thrust.

"AAAH!" Steven cried out as he barely dodged the blade by ducking under it, hearing a whistle as its edge cut the air and passed centimeters away from his head. He had avoided the first strike, but now the hologram was right next to him, and its offensive wasn't over.

It went for a downward slash, and this time the hybrid, who hadn't completely gotten up yet, had no chance to dodge it. Blinded by the adrenaline that was being pumped into his blood, Steven, listening only to his instincts, desperately held his own sword horizontally in an attempt to defend himself.

The sound of two blades colliding against one another ringed in his ears. Wasting no time thinking about what had just happened, Steven instead gripped his weapon tightly and got into what he thought was the best possible stance, eyes focused on his opponent's sword as he prepared to resist its onslaught.

Everything seemed to be in slow motion. First came a diagonal slash.

He blocked it.

Then a wide, horizontal one.

Another defense.

A low one, which the boy jumped over.

Then a series of thrusts.

All of them blocked.

But the boy was too focused defending himself from the automaton's sword, giving it a chance to attack him with other methods.

"OPENING DETECTED!" It shouted as it attempted to punch Steven in the gut just like (other) Pearl did yesterday. But even though he blocked the blow by reflex, the hybrid lost his balance for a split second and was immediately punched on the nose by the hologram's sword hand, which used the handguard of the sabre it wielded as a brass knuckle. Before he could even react to the sickening sound of something being broken or the sudden amount of blood that came out of his nose, the Holo-Pearl slashed his lower abdomen, cutting through his navy-blue shirt with ease and creating a horrible wound.

" **AAAAAAAAH!** " Steven gave a bloodcurdling scream before being sent flying a few meters by a kick to the side. But despite all that, (other) Pearl's training had already left a mark on him: instead of simply falling to the ground, he instinctively curled up in a manner that would allow him to get back up on his feet as quickly as possible.

"Steven!" The pale teacher shouted from somewhere outside the mist.

"NO! I CAN DO THIS!" He immediately fired back, his mind clouded by adrenaline and the pain.

And that was when Steven realized the situation he was in: He could barely see a palm ahead of his face, had just been slashed in the abdomen, blood flowing out of the wound with each passing second, and was stuck with a robot that looked exactly like his teacher trying to kill him. **And he had just rejected said teacher's help.** Panic and self-reprimands began to set in. How could he have said something so stupid? He wanted to scream that he couldn't do this, not on his own. That he was going to die unless he was rescued.

Just when he was about to call for help, however, the memories of what Steven had done just moments before entered his mind. Though wounded, he was still alive, and even though he had never held a sword before, he had managed to hold his own for a few seconds, blocking several attacks in quick succession. _How did I do that?_ the hybrid asked himself. The answer was obvious: instead of overthinking and panicking like when that corrupted gem attacked him, he stayed calm and focused on what had to be done, reacting accordingly. Sure, he had made a mistake, but although the resulting cut was painful, it wasn't deep. It was survivable.

As for his broken nose, that was merely a nuisance consideringt he situation he was in.

Steven heard footsteps coming in his direction, no doubt the hologram intending to finish him off. In the precious few seconds left before the swords clashed once more, the image of Pearl screaming in despair after he was thrown into that tree flashed before his eyes, the hybrid gritting his teeth just from thinking about it. She had saved his life multiple times, even from his own gem, and this was how he repaid her, by making her feel bad about something that was entirely his fault?

**Absolutely not.**

"Do it for her..." Steven whispered to himself as he saw his opponent appearing from the mist, its sword stained with blood.

Holding his saber tightly with both hands, the hybrid stayed in position and readied his stance, the words echoing in his mind.

_Do it for her._

The hologram charged, covering the distance between itself and its target in the blink of an eye. Once in range, it launched a series of thrusts and slashes in quick succession.

All of these strikes were blocked, not with any expertise mind you, but it was good enough. Though the sound of clashing swords filled the air, Steven didn't hear any of it.

_Do it for her._

Outside the mist, (other) Pearl couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was her student actually holding his own?

Upon seeing that its sword strikes weren't having their intended effect, the hologram decided to repeat the trick that allowed it to take the upper hand in the first place, suddenly going for a kick. However, Steven wasn't fooled a second time, jumping up and then attempting to go for a counterattack, which was unfortunately blocked. Retaking the initiative, the hologram continued its onslaught, slowly pushing its opponent back blow by blow.

Fatigue began to set in, and Steven realized that even though his performance was admirable, he would still be defeated and likely killed unless he did something fast, since each defense was becoming more and more difficult to be made. Noticing that the enemy's saber was still stained with his blood, he suddenly had an idea. Blood was made out of water, right? Well, it was time to test that theory.

After blocking more strikes, the hybrid finally saw an opportunity, for this time the Holo-Pearl went for a wide, horizontal slash. Using all of his willpower, Steven commanded the blood in its sword to stay completely still, and, to his astonishment, the weapon was frozen in the air for a split second. The hologram's torso was now wide open, and he knew he would never get such an opportunity again.

 ** _Do it for her!_**

With a loud cry, Steven thrust his sword right into the automaton's abdomen before kicking it back just in case the weapon was still necessary. The hologram staggered back a couple of meters and fell on the ground, not getting up.

"MATCH SET! CHALLENGER WINS!" It shouted.

The fog dissipated immediately after that, and (other) Pearl, who was until then sitting nervously on the grandstand, climbed down the stairs, clapping. "Impressive, outstanding, extraordinary! I have no words to describe your - !!!" Her joy was replaced by horror after seeing her student's state. "STEVEN!" She shouted, summoning a vial full of healing tears before running to where he was.

"Oh thank God..." He sighed in relief as he saw his teacher, readily gulping down the precious liquid she offered him before falling into her arms from exhaustion.

"It's okay, I'm here. You're safe now." The instructor said as she hugged the boy protectively. "Take deep breaths."

Seconds later, the hybrid, who looked good as new, the only evidence of what had happened being his torn shirt, stood up on his feet once more. He couldn't believe what he had just done. "I did it..." He whispered, eyes wide open.

"What?"

"I did it!" He shouted before hugging his teacher again. "I did it for her!"

Those last words hit (other) Pearl straight in the heart. How could they not, considering that everything she did for every single day of her life was done for Rose, who always made her feel like she was everything? She had found a kindred soul, and that made her tear up. "Yes you did, Steven." She began, wiping those tears away. "Your performance was simply magnificent, I have no words to describe it! You weren't supposed to win, you know..."

"Wait, what?!" The student said as he pushed her back, surprised.

"That Holo-Pearl wasn't going to kill you, I had specifically programmed it so that any wounds would be non-lethal only." She began to explain. "You would be defeated and then I would come in to teach you how not to repeat any mistakes you might've made. I wanted to see how you would fare in an unexpected fight. And what did you do?" (other) Pearl couldn't contain her happiness and put her hands on the boy's shoulders. "You stayed calm in the heat of battle, even though you never even held a sword before, defended yourself and finally came up with a strategy that gave you victory! That is simply extraordinary, how did you do it?"

"Well..." Steven giggled and blushed in response to the avalanche of praise. "Honestly, I didn't really think a lot." He began, scratching the back of his neck. "I kept thinking about all the good things Pearl did for me and how I had to return the favor, how I had to protect her above everything else. Looking back, I probably should've thought about Dad too..."

"You did, I assure you of that." (other) Pearl reassured him. "You thought about him, your two new human friends-"

"Peedee and Connie." Steven corrected her.

"Peedee, Connie, even your mother. And you fought for all of them." The pale teacher put her hands on the boy's shoulders. "Your Pearl probably took such a prominent place in your mind because of our mission to the Great North."

"How do you know that?" The student asked.

"Well, you could say that I've had a few thousand years to learn." The renegade replied before standing up to her full height. "Now, let us continue with today's lesson, shall we?"

"Yeah!" Steven enthusiatically replied. How could he, who was once so afraid of even leaving his own apartment back in Seoul, now be excited for something so dangerous? (other) Pearl wasn't lying when she said that her training would make him unrecognizable. The timid boy was slowly giving way to a brave, selfless knight.

"Good." The pair then walked to where the Holo-Pearl was. The automaton, sensing the people approaching it, suddenly got up, and Steven almost grabbed his sword by reflex.

"DO YOU WISH TO ENGAGE IN COMBAT?" It shouted.

"Initiate training mode." The pale gem commanded.

"TRAINING MODE INITIATED, LEVEL 1 BEGIN!" Came the reply.

"Now, let's start with the basics." (other) Pearl guided her student closely.

"Keep your stance wide, keep your body lowered..."

\------------------

Hours later...

"Oh man, I'm starving! I wonder what they'll serve at Beach Citywalk Fries today." Steven told his teacher when the pair returned to the temple. "I hope Peedee's there..."

"Wait, you'll have fries for lunch?" (other) Pearl raised an eyebrow. "Because if that's your plan, don't even think about it. You won't perform anywhere near the necessary level if you're malnourished."

"It's not like that, ma'am." The boy clarified. "Even though the guys there slap fries on everything, the place actually serves a lot of dishes if you ask for them. Sure, it's not as good as the food back home," Steven's mouth watered as he remembered the last time he had some bulgogi, a food best known by its nickname of 'Korean barbecue', "but it's either that, pizza or donuts, so there isn't much of a choice, really."

"Well, take care of yourself. I'll be watching you in case anything goes wrong."

"Actually, Teacher, could you please come with me?" Steven said before grabbing one of (other) Pearl's hands. "I'm sure Peedee would love to talk to you about yesterday, too."

"Wait a second, you don't want me to eat, do you?!" The instructor replied, the thought of chewing and swallowing something filling her with disgust.

"No ma'am, I just want you to take part in our chat too! Don't you feel alone watching me from like half a mile away?"

(other) Pearl thought about it for a moment, not wanting to interact with any humans but eventually deciding to let the boy have his way for once. "I'm used to being alone, but if you insist..." She shrugged.

"Yay!"

The pair then walked into the beach and then the boardwalk. After waving to Lars and Sadie, who were temporarily leaving their post for their own lunch break, Steven saw Peedee sitting near the sand, staring at the beautiful but empty sea. What was he doing there? Well, at least he wasn't wearing that awful outfit.

The fryboy, noticing he was being approached by someone, looked to the side and smiled. "Steven, Gem Lady!" He called before getting up and walking to the pair. "I was beginning to think you two weren't coming! I was waiting for-" The fryboy interrupted himself when he noticed something very odd. "Hang on a sec..." He said as he looked his friend up and down.

"Um... Everything okay there, Peedee?" Steven asked nervously.

"Dude, are those flip flops of yours actually high heels in disguise or something?" The fryboy replied.

After those words were said, the hybrid's eyes widened in shock what when he realized what was amiss. Since when was he taller than Peedee? And not just a little, but tall enough to look over him without standing on the tips of his toes?

He turned to (other) Pearl. "Teacher, how does my hair look like?" He asked, lips trembling.

"A little longer than yesterday, but not much. What's wrong?" Came the reply.

Steven gasped in horror and covered his mouth with his hands. Was he slowly turning into the monster who appeared in that awful dream?

"C'mon dude, you just had a growth spurt!" Peedee tried to calm him down. "There's nothing wrong with that, I was just surprised."

"We're here, it's okay." (other) Pearl did the same, crouching down and putting a hand on her student's shoulder.

Regaining his composure, the hybrid took a deep breath before looking at his friend with his brown eyes. "Peedee, it's time I came clean to you." He said before pulling up his shirt, revealing the huge gemstone that stood where his heart should've been. "I'm not a human, not a normal one at least..." He sighed. "I'm a gem too."

Peedee wasn't as surprised as Steven thought he would be. "Well, that explains how you froze up the floor when we were talking yesterday." He said before looking at (other) Pearl. "By the way, are you one of those 'Crystal Gems' Amethyst says she's a part of? You even have a little star on your outfit too."

"I am, yes, and my name is Pearl. We keep you safe from the corrupted gems that attack this place, but I'm sure you already know that." She then looked at her student. "Do you want me to leave you two alone, for privacy reasons?"

"No, there's something I need to tell you too." Steven said after hiding his gem. "Remember when I said I had a bad dream yesterday, right before Rose and the others left? I was understating just how awful that nightmare was, and you showed up in it."

(other) Pearl's eyes widened in surprise. "What happened? I'm all ears." She asked.

"Me too." Peedee said.

Steven took a deep breath. "Alright, how do I tell this without sounding too weird?" He paused a for a short moment and put a hand on his chin. "I woke up sitting on a throne that was inside this big blue cage full of little holes in the walls. I was wearing this super awesome, fancy outfit that all these little decorations on it, but the one thing I loved the most was how tall I was. And I don't mean adult tall, I mean, um..." Steven stopped and scanned his surroundings for an useful reference point before settling on Lars and Sadie's workplace. "See the Big Donut over there?" He said, pointing to the building. "I was probably, like, two or three times taller than that, donut included."

Peedee's jaw dropped to the floor. "The heck?! Were you in Wonderland or something?"

"Like I said, it's really weird. I always hated being short, so maybe my mind came up with a scenario where I wasn't and then took things up to eleven, something like that."

"But why did you react the way you did after I said you grew up, if you hate being short so much?" The fryboy asked.

"Go on. What happened next?" (other) Pearl unexpectedly stepped in, her voice stern and eyes narrow.

Steven gulped before moving on. Judging by his teacher's reaction, this was really serious. "A few minutes later, I looked around and saw Pearl - not Teacher here, another one you don't know yet - standing right next to where my throne was. Even though she looked insanely tiny next to me, I immediately realized that something was wrong with her. She just stood there like a statue, not making a sound, and was wearing this awful skimpy outfit that made her look like... I don't know, a slave girl or something like that."

The mere thought of seeing Pearl wearing that leotard sent chills down Steven's spine, and small shards of ice began to form beneath his feet. They thankfully vanished after he took a deep breath. Peedee was surprised (and a little scared) at how detailed his friend's description was, while (other) Pearl's hands balled into fists.

"A few minutes later, a very short blue lady wearing a dress entered the cage and addressed me as 'My Diamond'. I had never seen her before, and yet I knew her name right from the get go." Steven continued.

"Her name was Sapphire, wasn't it?" (other) Pearl asked, the children gasping in surprise but not asking how she knew.

"... Yes, it was. She told me something about how rebels were going to attack us, and as soon as she left you and Rose showed up out of nowhere, demanding that I leave the planet and saying something about a colony. After that, you two began to cut people down, and I somehow couldn't do anything about it! I wanted to get up and stop you, but my body refused to obey, the cage closing itself and walking away with a bunch of legs I didn't know it had. At that point I didn't even know what was going on."

Another pause, this time to catch some breath.

"Finally, everything got silent again, and I suddenly saw a lady with three eyes that looked a lot like Garnet on the middle of the arena. The people there began to shout insults at her, before she literally fell apart into Sapphire and a little red gem who had Garnet's square hair. I have no idea why, but I got insanely furious. The words that came out of my mouth weren't mine, but they just kept coming. The red lady took the blame for everything that happened, and I replied that... that I was going to break her." The hybrid shuddered. "I was going to kill an innocent person."

One moment later...

"I screamed at the top of my lungs, begging for my body not to do it, but there was no stopping what was about to happen." Tears began to well up in his eyes. "I woke up right before I did the deed." He gave a very heavy sigh. "That was why I was so afraid of hurting you yesterday, Peedee," Steven then turned to his teacher, "and why I almost gave up training with you, ma'am. I hate being useless, but I would rather die than become a monster."

"Holy moly... And here I thought I had it rough because of that costume." Peedee said while putting one of his hands on his head. "Um, do you - hey!" He was going to ask Steven if he wanted a hug, but was suddenly pushed aside by (other) Pearl.

"Sorry." Immediately after apologizing, the pale instructor put her hands on the hybrid's shoulders and looked at him straight in the eyes. "Listen to me Steven, and listen closely." She began, her voice low and deprived of the seriousness that dominated it earlier. "I guarantee you that scenario won't come to pass. Not that it's unlikely, no, I'm telling you it will NOT happen, and I'll explain why in our next training session." She stood up to her full height. "And now, I'll leave you two alone, genuinely so. Take all the time you need before coming back, don't worry about it." And with that, the pale woman began to walk back to the temple.

"... Okay, what was that?" The fryboy asked.

"I have no idea." Steven replied before he felt his belly growl. "Anyway, can we have lunch now? We can talk things out while we eat, if you're hungry too."

"Hungry? I'm starving!." Peedee replied. "Dad gave me an early break today, so I've been sitting here without much to do, just waiting for you to show up for, like, half an hour or so now. I was about to leave..."

"Heh, sorry." Steven giggled.

"It's nothing, really. Plus, the wait was worth it, so I'm not complaining." Peedee shrugged. "So, how about Fish Stew Pizza today?"

"Hang on, what?" Something clicked inside Steven's head, and he raised an eyebrow. Was Peedee... hinting at something? Nah, he was overthinking it, the real issue was the place he wanted to go to. "You want us to have pizza for lunch? At a competitor's restaurant, no less?"

"They serve a lunchtime special at this time there, dummy, not just pizza." The fryboy chuckled at the fact his friend took his suggestion a bit too literally. Though he already had a tired soul, even more so than his own, the hybrid still retained some of his old, childlike innocence. "Besides, Dad said going there once in a while helps make sure our 'peace treaty' holds."

Steven laughed at the thought of the leaders of the two families who owned these restaurants discussing terms as if they were heads of state. "Well, if you say so." He said, smiling.

\------------------

Minutes later...

"So let me get this straight." Peedee said after gulping down a mouthful of rice and beans, "You traveled thousands of miles from Korea to here in just a few seconds?"

"Yep." Steven said before munching on a really tiny pizza that looked more like a large cookie.

"And then you bumped into the leader of a bunch of immortal magical warrior ladies before going after a giant monster in the middle of the Great North, of all places, right after?"

"That thing threw me straight into a tree. The only reason I'm still alive right now is because of Rose." Came the reply.

"And now you're spending a week training with someone who might well be your enemy? Couldn't that be really dangerous?"

"I don't think we're really 'enemies' any more. Pearl's been getting along really well with them lately, and I don't think it's all an act. Something is making them work together, and I want to know what it is. And what made us be enemies in the first place, of course." Steven said before drinking some cola. "As for Teacher, I'm not gonna lie, she **terrified** me, especially after that dream. But everything changed after we saw that tape yesterday."

"What was in it?"

"A message from my mom. She said something about how, in this planet, we're free to choose to be whatever we want to be, things like that. Whatever that meant completely changed Teacher's behavior."

"Wow, I'm glad that old TV helped you guys. I didn't even know it still worked." Peedee said before taking a sip of orange juice. "So, how does it feel, being the son of a rockstar and a giant alien queen? I can't believe I'm asking that to someone with a straight face."

"It's really, really weird. I might be part human, but heck, people near me cry when I do, and I don't even have a heart! No wonder Pearl never let Dad take me to the doctor, they would probably try to cut me open or something..." The hybrid sighed.

"Ugh, I can't imagine how that feels. I mean, having a giant rock in your chest instead of a heart..."

"But I guarantee you that things are looking up ever since I got here and met them and you. Now..." Steven gave a wry smile and his eyes narrowed. "We've spent enough time talking about me. How about **you**? The boy, who until then seemed tired and a bit depressed, suddenly looked cunning and perhaps even a little dangerous.

"Well, um..." Peedee was caught off guard by his friend's quick change of heart, but that wasn't all. There was something in the hybrid's expression that he just couldn't lay his finger on. Was it relief at finally being able to talk to a human his age, or anxiety from having to talk about a topic that was quite sensitive to him? Steven's request was genuine, but was it asked out of simple curiosity or was there something else behind it? The fryboy felt like he was looking at multiple people at once.

"So?" Came the question.

"Sorry, it's just that my life seems so boring and normal compared to yours."

"It's not boring at all. Come on, I'm sure you've got lots of interesting stories to tell." The hybrid's eyes weren't so narrow and sharp anymore, and he looked a lot kinder now.

 _What the?!_ Was all Peedee could say to himself internally. His suspicions that he wasn't talking to just one Steven, but many, were confirmed. But now that he thought about it, weren't most, if not all people, exactly like that? Didn't they have many inner layers, almost like onions?

"Well, how do I begin this?" He began. As he told his story, the fryboy wondered if he would ever meet **that** Steven. (other) Pearl assured the hybrid (and, by extension, him) that the scenario he described on his nightmare would never come to pass, so there was nothing to worry about.

Right? Right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't be afraid to point out typos or things that seem implausible in this story (OOC behavior, developments that are happening too quickly, etc). Your input is extremely important!


	15. Ugly Discoveries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (other) Pearl explains to Steven what his dream really was. 
> 
> Meanwhile, Pearl, Lapis and the Crystal Gems stumble upon a new enemy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you will be able to see by the first part of this chapter, I'm trying to give the townies (well, some of them) a bigger role in this story than in canon, where they were basically filler characters who rarely interacted with any of the gems, if ever.
> 
> I've edited this chapter a lot, so if there are bits and pieces that seem disconnected from the others, please tell me.

\------------------

While Steven and Peedee were having lunch...

For a guy who was born and spent his entire life in a town guarded from magical monsters by equally magical aliens, Lars Barriga's life was actually pretty boring. Tall and lanky, with an outward personality that was sometimes hostile (which hid a much more insecure side), failing grades and a very ordinary job on the Big Donut, he was very much your typical angsty teenager. It was no surprise that some of his happiest moments were the ones he shared with his coworker (more than that, really) Sadie Miller, one of the few people to who he really revealed his true feelings.

But the last few days had been anything but tedious. And it wasn't just because he had met **Mister Freaking Universe** in person, nor the the blue lady who somehow saw everything in front of her despite the long bangs of hair that covered her eyes, since she was obviously a gem. No, the real focus of his attention was that strangely weird kid in the jeans and navy-blue shirt.

When he, small, shy, stuttering and clearly uncomfortable with strangers, first met the pair a few days ago, he almost didn't say his own name to them, only doing so thanks to his father's urging. Even then, Steven spent most of the time hiding behind Amethyst, Greg and the blue lady while they did most of the talking and bought a few things, mostly donuts and drinks for the purple gem.

Now, mere minutes ago, the boy walked down the boardwalk with a gem the couple never saw before, and his attitude was completely different: instead of nervously trying to hide from any prying eyes, he was cheerful and eager, clearly not worrying about what others thought of him, or at least so it seemed. It was almost as if he had lived here all along, and to make things even more puzzling, he just casually waved to the two as if they were old friends!

What was up with this little tourist?

"Lars?" Sadie asked as they made their way to the back of the establishment so they could have their lunch. Her companion was too busy thinking to answer, a very unusual behavior for him.

"Hey!" She asked again.

"Oh!" Lars exclaimed in surprise before blushing lightly and glancing at the floor out of embarrassment.

Sadie just giggled, since the donut-eared teenager always looked cute when flustered. "You got something on your mind, what is it?" She asked while opening the door, revealing a room full of cardboard boxes, shelves, a little television and a table. This was where they usually had their lunch.

"Nah, it's nothing." An obvious lie.

"Dude, you suck at this." Sadie began. "It's got something to do with meeting Mr. Universe in person, right? You almost squealed when you saw him..." She finished with a smile.

Lars' cheeks grew redder, and he groaned.

"Don't you 'ugh' me. C'mon, it's not everyday that you get to see some super rockstar personally, it's fine." She decided it was time to step back on the playful jabs.

The donut-eared teenager finally opened up. "That's not it. It's the kid, he's rubbing me the wrong way."

"You mean Steven? Why's that? He seems okay to me." Sadie raised an eyebrow while she pulled a pair of sandwiches from the backpack she was carrying.

"Don't you think he's **too** okay?" He began. "I mean, when we first met he kept hiding behind Amethyst and those two, definitely not the type to hang out with strangers. Now he's with someone who looks way too much like that blue lady, but is different at the same time. And he waved to us as if we were friends! Like, just days ago it was hard enough for him to tell us his own name!"

"Really, that's it?" Sadie replied, underwhelmed. "First, he probably knows that lady, and second, maybe he's learned that this place is actually pretty nice? I mean, other than the magic stuff."

"It just doesn't make any sense. I mean, where's his dad at, anyway? He hasn't shown up here since that day, but the kid does, and with someone who's probably one of Rose's magical buddies to boot? And I can swear that he's a bit taller than yesterday..."

"You worry too much. I mean, heck, we're attacked by giant monsters once every week or so." The short woman replied as she sat down on a chair. "And besides, you weren't the most social kid either. Maybe he could help you with that."

"Don't need it." Came the very direct, but also somehow weak, retort.

"Oh sure you don't." Sadie rolled her eyes before biting into her meal, Lars doing the same shortly after. Though the cheese, ham and mayonnaise sandwiches weren't exactly a healthy or usual lunch to have, they were enough for the pair today.

\------------------

Some time later...

Though he had enjoyed his lunch and talking with Peedee, Steven couldn't help but get more anxious as time went by and he approached the Temple. How could he not, considering how (other) Pearl was likely going to give him a crucial piece of information that would, as she reassured him, certainly quash his worst insecurities about the training he was going through?

 _What will she tell me?_ The hybrid asked himself more than once as he got closer to the huge, eight-armed statue, his teacher, who didn't move a muscle after seeing her student, waiting for him right next to the warp pad.

 _Welp, time to find out..._ He gulped nervously.

"Hello, Teacher. I hope I didn't keep you waiting." Steven said as he bowed to her.

"Quite the contrary, Steven." The pale woman replied as she bowed back, "You came here sooner than I expected. I assume you're very curious, which is understandable."

"Yes I am!" The student exclaimed unexpectedly before containing himself. "I'm sorry. So, what are you gonna tell me about my dream?"

"I can't do that here." (other) Pearl explained. "It's too sensitive a matter for us to talk about in such a public space. We ought to go somewhere else, safe from prying eyes, so follow me." She then walked to the warp pad's surface and gestured the boy to do the same, which he did.

Moments later, they were at the Sky Arena, and after a few minutes of walking, the pair sat down right next to each other on one of the grandstand's seats. Though he didn't show it, Steven's body was shivering on the inside. He was nervous to the point of not being able to look at his teacher in fear of his emotions getting out of hand.

(other) Pearl sighed loudly. "I can't believe I'm the one who'll do this. I was hoping this task would fall to Rose or Garnet... oh well." Naturally, this statement didn't calm the boy down, and he began to breathe at such a rate that it seemed that he was about to hyperventilate.

"Sorry, saying that was a terrible idea. I'll try to explain things as simply as possible."

 _For God's sake, just say it already..._ Steven thought.

"What you had wasn't a nightmare. It was a flashback, a memory from a time long before you were born." She said flatly.

"Wh-what?!" The hybrid exclaimed in surprise, his breaths slowing down as he paid attention to what his teacher was saying.

"Since at this point the little charade your pearl erected is now meaningless, I'll give you the cold, hard truth. Are you ready to listen?" She asked before getting up, her expression serious and eyes narrow.

"Yes I am, please tell me!" Steven was partially sure this question asked as a way to gain time while (other) Pearl thought of better words, since she definitely knew what his answer would be.

"Very well. It all happened 5750 years ago." The teacher began. "Back then, this planet was the site of a very promising colony for the Gem Empire, an enormous political entity that controls countless worlds in many corners of the universe. Earth was one of the planets to be conquered and incorporated into that system, but there was only one problem: we, the Crystal Gems, which at that point consisted of only Rose and I, were doing our best to prevent that from happening."

"Did you do it?" Steven asked.

"Had we not, everything on this planet would've died."

The boy's eyes widened briefly in response to that statement before quickly returning to normal. His silence was a signal for the woman to go on.

"Our activities were surprisingly successful, to the point that Blue Diamond herself decided to come here with her court to investigate. We ambushed them in a sky arena very much like this one and cut several gems down, but before I could strike my next target, a short blue gem named Sapphire, something unbelievable happened: one of her guards, an equally short gem named Ruby, knocked her out of the way and fused with her in the process, creating something entirely new, a fusion of two different gems. Rose and I were so surprised, along with everyone else, that we decided to retreat."

More silence. She could swear the air was getting colder.

"Some time later, back on the surface, that fusion, Garnet, stumbled upon us. After a brief conversation, she joined our cause and took up arms against the Empire, eventually becoming the person she is today."

A sigh of relief from the boy, and the temperature returned to normal. "What happened later, ma'am?" He asked.

"Our ranks swelled as the years passed, and what was once a small rebellion became a huge, horrible war. Some of the first battles were fought in this very place, but the worst ones by far happened in the field where we found your weapon. Thousands of gems were shattered there, many of them good friends of mine." Her hands balled into fists, and tears began to well up behind her eyes. "In the end, we drove Homeworld out of Earth... but by then, we were the only ones left."

"You, Rose, Garnet and Amethyst..." Steven covered his mouth in horror as he thought about what his teacher was put through, and the cold returned. "Oh my God..."

"No, Amethyst emerged later. It's a long story, one you should ask her about if you want the details."

"Ma'am, please be honest now. What was Mom like? Did she really try to... to..." The idea that the person he looked up to the most could do something so awful made Steven's insides turn, the temperature continuing to drop as his hands turned into fists and he looked at the floor, hiding his eyes. "Did she at least have a good reason?"

"Homeworld has countless laws and codes which, if you don't follow to the very end, you are first deemed a failure and then shattered. For example, rubies are guards, peridots are technicians, amethysts are warriors, and so on. Your mother stood at the very top of that grotesque, autocratic system." (other) Pearl began. "However, I assure you that she changed for the better, and the tape we saw proves that. The Blue Diamond I knew would never have presented ideas such as freedom to be whoever you want to be, without anyone else to tell you otherwise, as good things."

Silence. The teacher hoped this final tidbit would at least give this very nasty lecture a good ending.

"That was quite a lot of information for someone to process in one go. Do you... want some time for yourself?" (other) Pearl asked nervously, fearing what could happen if she said something wrong and things took a turn for the worse.

"Is there anything else you would like to say?" Steven replied, his tone distressingly calm.

"Well... Do you want me to?"

"No. Let's go back to our training." He got up.

"Wait, don't you think-"

 **"Please."** The Diamond's voice, though icy and seemingly threatening, carried more sadness than anger. His eyes, full of unshed tears, stared right into the pale woman's own, and the air was now so cold that his breaths were visible.

(other) Pearl, feeling a chill run down her spine, nodded without saying a word. Her student needed a distraction, and fast.

 _Thank the Stars I didn't tell him back at the temple..._ She thought before summoning a holo-pearl.

"DO YOU WISH TO ENGAGE IN COMBAT?" It shouted, as usual.

Steven gripped his sabre with such strength that he was surprised it didn't break.

"Let this be the perfect battle." He replied.

Snow began to fall.

\------------------

After a period of time that felt like an eternity to Rose, Garnet and Amethyst, since they had nothing to do other than just lie down stare at the admittedly very beautiful sky (it was full of stars), an activity that quickly became very annoying since the destiny of the entire Earth rested on their shoulders, Lapis appeared, carrying Pearl in her arms. The trio quickly got up as the blue gems approached them, the pink-haired leader internally sighing in relief that the best scenario had apparently come to pass, just as the fusion had predicted.

"Wow..." Amethyst muttered as the pair landed, having never seen a non corrupted gem fly before.

Lapis immediately retreated behind her liberator's back, still unwilling to talk to any of the rebels, and chose instead to eye them warily while Pearl did the talking.

"I assume everything went well?" Rose was the first to ask.

"As good as possible." Pearl suddenly felt Lapis hold one of her hands tightly. _A lapis lazuli clinging to a pearl for protection? Heh, this planet is just ridiculous..._ She thought, not complaining. "She's not comfortable with it, understandably so, but I am confident that things will improve."

Garnet smiled contently that her prediction was proven right, even as the freed aristocrat looked at her and her comrades with a mix of fear and anger.

"They will." She said.

The former slave smiled back before turning to Lapis. "So, before we go, would you like for me to introduce you, or... ?" She said.

"Please, let's just get this over with." She replied, averting her gaze. "Where are we going, anyway?"

"The Prime Kindergarten. Listen, I understand if - !" Pearl's hand was suddenly squeezed so tightly that she bit her lip so as to not wince in pain.

"The sooner we go, the sooner we leave." Rose said as she and her two subordinates stepped on the warp pad, gesturing for the blue pair to follow.

"That is correct." Pearl said in agreement. Lapis gritted her teeth and grumbled in response to the rebel leader's intervention, but eventually nodded. Her grip relaxed, but only a little.

As the group organized themselves in the pad so they could warp away, Amethyst, who chose to stay silent, noticed that the once imprisoned aristocrat was giving her a very familiar glare. It was the same unimpressed and outright disgusted eyes that Pearl gave her when they first met.

 _Oh come on, not this shit again._ She thought, rolling her eyes. Dealing with a slave who thought like an uppercrust was one thing, but an actual one...

Pearl, through either sight or instinct, somehow noticed this little interaction and elbowed Lapis on the side. Although a quick, subtle and painless move (only Lapis and Amethyst noticed it), it was nevertheless a clear message that this kind of behavior was unacceptable.

 _Ha, serves you right!_ The purple gem thought as she shot Lapis a smirk. The aristocrat, her pride already bruised from simply standing near these rebels and not being allowed to attack them, gritted her teeth as the warp pad was activated.

Seconds later, the group found itself in the very dark valley that was the Prime Kindergarten. And just like Garnet feared, the ground far below was full of grotesque, multicolored, screaming abominations. But these prototypes, while terrifying to an unprepared foe (or a permafusion), were no match for the combined might of the three Crystal Gems, who made short work of them in just a few minutes.

Pearl, itching for some action after hours of doing almost nothing (she couldn't even draw, due to the mission), summoned one of her gauntlet-swords. However, Lapis grabbed her by the forearm with both hands right before she could leap into the fray.

"What are you doing?! Let go!" The former slave demanded.

"I... um..." Lapis couldn't come up with any words to explain her sudden, thoughtless action. "Wh-what?!" Her eyes widened as she realized what she had done.

"Please!" Pearl exclaimed before yanking her arm free and joining her allies in the fight.

Lapis was left alone on the warp pad for a a few precious moments that gave her a chance to think about what had just happened. What in the Stars was going on in her head? First of all, she was an extremely powerful gem, especially on a planet as wet as this, so why was she clinging so desperately to a pearl for protection? Worse, she had surrendered to an impulse that came from Stars know where and put herself on the way of the very person who freed her from that mirror!

The sound of Garnet's gauntlet-rockets exploding snapped Lapis back to reality, and she immediately swooped into the scene, turning her water wings into multiple knife-sharp floating icicles...

... But everything was over by then.

"Nice wings you got there. Too bad you're late." Amethyst remarked sarcastically.

With a sigh, Lapis commanded her wings to return to their usual shape and retreat back into her gem. However, before she or anyone else could say anything, the group suddenly heard the warp pad above them being activated. Who was up there?

"Garnet?!" Rose asked her subordinate nervously, hoping her future vision had picked up who this new arrival was.

"I don't know! All I can say is that it's not Pearl!" Came the reply.

"Let's hide!" (blue) Pearl suggested.

"It's too late!" Garnet said as the five gems felt a sudden rush of wind from above and braced for impact...

Only for a huge, smooth sphere with seven legs to land right in the middle of them. What was that thing?

"... What the hell?" Amethyst asked, voicing a sentiment that was felt by everyone who was with her.

Everyone except for Pearl, that is. She instead gasped in a loud and dramatic manner.

"What is it?" Rose asked as she and all other gems looked looked at the former slave.

"It's a plug robonoid." Pearl began. "They can be remotely controlled from Homeworld without many too issues. Whoever is piloting this thing is definitely doing it from there!"

"Team!" The pink-haired leader commanded as she and her subordinates bared their weapons once more, and Lapis, not wanting to be left out this time, did the same thing with her wings.

"Wait!" Pearl called. "Plug robonoids are not designed for combat purposes. It probably doesn't even know we're here!" The robonoid in question began to walk, ignoring the gems who then followed it.

"Why aren't we beating it up anyway? I mean, it's from Homeworld, so it's gotta be bad news!" Amethyst asked Pearl.

"Do you think doing so would alert them to our presence?" Rose asked as well.

"It's not worth the risk." Came the answer. "Besides, maybe its technology could help us."

"I don't like this at all..." Garnet said while adjusting her glasses.

"I have to agree with the fusion here." Lapis remarked.

 **"Garnet."** The square-haired woman replied.

"Whatever."

The robonoid turned into an upside down pyramid and began to sink into the ground, creating a large square-shaped hole as it did so. Pearl was the first of the gems to hop onto this strange lift, Lapis and the others following her into a tunnel that had many green vein-like tubes within its walls.

"... Bloop?" A very creeped out Amethyst asked her friend.

"Hey, don't look at me like that. I don't know where we're going either..." An equally nervous Pearl replied.

The group reached what seemed to be some sort of control room with a green pedestal that looked like a hand in the middle. An oozing sound followed by something hard falling on the ground made the gems look below, and they saw a much smaller robonoid making its way to the pedestal, its tiny legs barely making a sound. Once it reached its intended destination, the robonoid reconfigured its legs so its shape resembled that of a hand, and after touching the pedestal in this form, the entire room began to glow as it was activated.

A floating holo-screen appeared, and the team rushed for cover before the person controlling the robonoid remotely, a green gem with triangle-shaped hair, a visor and a triangular, smooth gemstone on her forehead, could see them.

"Established projection link with control room." The mystery gem began with a nasal voice. "Plug robonoid has successfully landed on Earth and established contact with Prime Kindergarten control room in Facet 5. Will proceed to perform status check of Kindergarten..."

"Is that a peridot?! Why are her hands like that?" Lapis whispered.

"Ugh..." Pearl groaned as everyone looked at her, waiting for an answer. "That is an Era 2 peridot, so she was built with fewer resources than gems of the same cut that were produced before the war. Those 'hands' are actually limb enhancers, designed to compensate for her weaknesses."

"Grrr, this technology is so archaic..." Peridot grumbled above while Garnet peeked to see what was going on.

"What's happening?" Rose whispered, the fusion then gesturing for the others to follow her example.

They saw Peridot (whose had turned her back to their hiding place) controlling two huge, floating mechanical hands that fidgeted with all sorts of controls in the walls as she checked the status of the Kindergarten.

"Predictably, the Prime Kindergarten is in an advanced state of decay. Will now evaluate progress on the Cluster project." The technician droned on.

The group's eyes widened simultaneously. This was an excellent opportunity to see just how much time they had left to save the Earth.

"Now now now, let's see... what? No, that can't be right." Peridot said as several screens appeared in front of her. The hands continued to do their work.

"Grrr... Unbelievable." Clearly, whatever data she was receiving wasn't helping.

Pearl tried to get a better look at what she was reading, but Amethyst summoned her whip and grabbed the former slave before she could go too far from cover. Unfortunately, this also made both of them tumble unceremoniously, since Pearl struggled reflexively before being pulled back.

"What was that noise?" Peridot quickly turned around, but thankfully the two gems had already returned to their hiding place, earning death glares from their companions.

"Tch, whatever. Now, where was I?" She said, much to the group's relief.

"I swear to the Stars, if you two got caught..." Rose said as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

Before either Pearl or Amethyst could respond, everyone's thoughts were interrupted by a very angry yell.

"AAAAAGH! Is every piece of tech in this planet fossilized?!" Peridot shouted. "Let's see here... Oh come on, this AGAIN?! *sigh* Alright, that's enough." She said after containing her anger at the current situation. "Attempt to analyze the Cluster project through remote means has failed, with all terminals reporting the simple but very direct words 'No Data Available'. Will need to inspect geoweapon personally. Peridot Facet 2F5L Cut 5XG signing out."

And just like that, the lights in the room died down. The group should've been tranquilized by this, but they weren't for a very obvious reason.

"Holy shit..." Once again, it was Amethyst who voiced everyone's feelings.

"No... Nononononono!" Lapis shouted before summoning her wings.

"Lapis, wait!" Now it was Pearl's turn to grab the aristocrat's forearm with both hands.

"Let go! I will NOT get entangled in another war!" The flying gem shouted as she attempted to take off, lifting herself and her liberator off the ground at the same time.

"We're dead! We're so dead!" Amethyst said while Garnet, though still calm on the outside, was internally screaming at the top of her lungs.

"ENOUGH, ALL OF YOU!" Rose's voice was enough to stop everyone on their tracks. She was a natural leader, and it showed. Perhaps too well, in fact. "First things first," she began after they all turned toward her to listen, "she doesn't know of our existence, so there's a serious possiblity that she'll come here all alone. Second, since the Galaxy Warp is still broken, she'll have to come here by ship, giving us time to prepare. Third, even if she comes with an escort, our combined strength should be enough to take them down, considering we have someone who knows some of Homeworld's deepest secrets as well as a lapis lazuli on our side.".

"I'll speak for myself, thank you very much." Lapis retorted.

Ignoring the waterbender, Rose turned to Garnet. "Can you predict anything? Should we warn Pearl?" She asked, referring to her closest confidant.

"I don't know why, but I sense that interrupting Steven's training would be a very bad idea." The fusion began. "As for Peridot, it's too soon for me to see anything clearly, but she definitely won't come before this week is over. That means we still have time to - to..."

"Garnet?" Rose asked, concerned.

The square-haired woman gasped loudly. "Galaxy Warp, NOW!" She shouted before bolting back to the surface at full speed, the rest of the gems following her.

\------------------

Seconds later, the group arrived at the Galaxy Warp, a location that, as its name suggested, was the nerve center of Earth's warp transportation system. Once they became aware of their new surroundings, they noticed an immense number of small robonoids on the central warp pad, the largest of them all, which once provided a direct link with Homeworld.

It was a sight that instantly made Pearl scream before she leaped at the scene with both gauntlet-swords and destroyed as many robonoids as she could. Her teammates followed suit with their own weapons, and soon enough the little machines were no more.

"Okay, what were those?" Lapis asked.

"Flask robonoids. Hadn't it been for Garnet, they would've repaired the warp, and we could've been swarmed in minutes!" An exasperated Pearl replied.

"Holy hell, you just saved our lives!" Amethyst said before hugging the fusion for a moment as a show of gratitude.

"There's no guarantee that more of them won't come." Rose began. "Damaging the pad isn't enough, we need to absolutely erase every single bit of it out of existence."

"Leave that to me." Lapis said. She couldn't waste such a golden opportunity to show her true power. "Stand back." The other women acted accordingly, the leader summoning a bubble to protect them.

Then, by the aristocrat's command, an absolutely gigantic hand made out of water emerged from the vast ocean that surrounded the platform they were standing on, rising higher and higher until it stood taller than perhaps even the Temple itself. With the simple flick of a wrist, the hand turned into a fist that slammed into the Homeworld Warp with the strength of thousands upon thousands of tons of water falling into a single place at once.

The gems' ears were filled by what sounded like glass being shattered into a billion pieces. By the time Rose dropped her bubble, the Homeworld Warp, once on the verge of being repaired, had been literally reduced to dust, which was then blown away by the wind.

"There, problem solved." Lapis said before shooting an unbelievably smug smirk at her colleagues.

"Hmph, show off." Rose simply crossed her arms and smirked back. "Then again, you **did** do an excellent job..." She shrugged.

"Flatterer." The former prisoner replied.

Amethyst, meanwhile, began to giggle and nudged Garnet with her elbow. "Hey G, look at Bloop..." She whispered.

The gem in question was completely starstruck, her mouth agape, the exact reaction Lapis hoped to get. Why was she so worried with impressing her? She didn't know.

It did make the idea of living with these rebels a lot more bearable, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lapis has the hots for Bloop, and by the looks of it the feeling is mutual. Blame Faded Blue for making me think they'd make a cute couple.
> 
> Next chapter will be a time skip, since the story is beginning to run out of chapters left to write and it would be really boring to have a ton of chapters all focused on a single week, in my view.


	16. A Warm Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven's week of intensive training with (other) Pearl finally comes to an end.

\------------------

Peedee could feel his anxiety building up as he walked down the beach in the direction of the Temple. Years ago, there used to be a fence that prevented the inhabitants of Beach City from getting too close to the great structure, and for good reason: there was always a nasty monster nearby, hiding just beneath the water, under the sand or somewhere else. But the fryboy had a very good reason to take such a short yet dangerous trip.

It had been five days since he last saw Steven. After their lunch together, the hybrid departed to continue his training, as usual, but this time he didn't come back. What had happened? And most importantly, did it have something to do with what that lady he insisted on calling "Teacher" said she would tell him later? Somehow, she didn't strike him as someone who really knew how to speak the right words, even before Steven explained the whole "we used to be enemies" thing, and considering that his friend was capable of freezing the ground whenever he got too angry...

The fryboy sighed loudly and clenched his hands into fists, doing his best to push the bad feelings out of his mind. His friend could handle himself, and even if he was in a tough spot, he knew he could help him somehow. Sure, he didn't have any magic powers, but he'd find a way.

His sigh caught someone's attention. "Hey!" a feminine voice called from a distance. Peedee turned left and saw a girl with glasses sitting near the cliff who was until then silently reading what was either a magazine or a book.

"Hey, this place's actually pretty dangerous!" The fryboy said as he approached her so he wouldn't need to shout. "You wouldn't believe me, but there are actually all sorts of weird creatures here." He finished. _God, I sound like Ronaldo..._ the young employee thought, referring to his very... wacky brother.

"Yeah, that does sound ridiculous." She replied with a giggle while getting up. "But anyway, did you happen to see a boy wearing a blue shirt and jeans in the last few days? He's about your age, really excitable and-"

"Wait, are you talking about Steven?" Peedee said, interrupting her. "Are you Connie Muh-hay-sharan?" He finished before averting his gaze and blushing a little. "Sorry, I probably got your name wrong."

"You know him too?!" Connie's eyes widened. She honestly felt a little jealous, but to be completely honest, she wasn't surprised. Of course someone like him wouldn't have just one friend, and definitely not someone like her. "And yeah, it's actually pronounced Maheswaran, but that's not-"

"Look out!" Peedee shouted before shoving the girl away. Moments later, a huge rock fell right where they once were, sending sand, smaller rocks and pebbles flying everywhere.

Connie's back hit the cliff wall before her whole body onto the ground unceremoniously. Getting back on her feet, she almost protested before realizing that the bruised boy in front of her just saved her life. "Are you okay?!" She said while grabbing her cellphone and crouching down to see if he was badly injured. "My mom's a doctor, I can call her if you need help!"

"I'm alright..." Peedee said as he got his face out of the sand and slowly stood up, revealing a few cuts here and there but thankfully nothing too serious. "I swear to God, this place's attacked by giant monsters every day and the one thing that almost does me in is a rock..." He laughed a little, hoping this could lessen the pain somewhat.

"Wait, you're actually serious?" Connie asked. "About the monsters and stuff?"

"Heh, he wasn't wrong when he said you weren't from here." Came the reply. "It's really complicated, but we've got these magical warrior ladies called the Crystal Gems that protect us from them."

The bookworm felt the temptation to ask more questions about these people, but she couldn't forget why she started talking with him in the first place. "Do you know where Steven is? I haven't seen him for days and he doesn't answer when I call him."

"I was about to ask you the same question." Peedee answered. The two children's hearts visibly sank as they saw their chance of finding their mutual friend fade away.

"What's your name?" Connie asked. "And where were you going if this place's so dangerous?"

"Peedee, Peedee Fryman. There's a giant temple near the end of this beach, so I was hoping Steven would be there. I've looked everywhere else, so it's the last place left that I can think of."

"Oh, okay. Let's go there together, then!" Connie began. "I'm sure he'll love to talk with the both of us." She forced a smile.

"Yeah, right." Peedee forcibly smiled back. Even if things weren't looking good for them, it was still important to keep up hope. And so the pair walked down the beach, then turned around, the Temple now dominating their view.

"Wow..." The children said in awe. Even if the eight-armed statue was worn down by the passage of milennia, with many of its hands scattered all over the place, it was still a magnificent structure. But as they approached the small, cave-like opening that stood where the statue's navel was supposed to be, their amazement was replaced by disappointment. There was no one here.

But before either of them could turn around and lower their heads in defeat, something incredible (to them) happened: the large, circular pad inside the room suddenly glowed very brightly, and soon after five different gems were standing on its surface: Pearl, Lapis, Rose, Garnet and Amethyst, all of them either smiling (Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl) straight-faced (Lapis) or unable to stop laughing (Rose).

The leader finally caught herself for a moment. "Garnet, that was -"

"WHERE DID YOU ALL COME FROM?!" Connie and Peedee shouted at the same time.

"AAAAH!" All the gems screamed in surprise.

"Hi." Except for Garnet, of course.

"Peedee, what the he- **eeeeck** are you doing here?!" Amethyst corrected herself before she swore in front of two kids. "And who's the- **wait a minute.** " Suddenly, a grin.

"Amethyst, no." Peedee knew what was coming, and tried to stop her.

"My man's finally got a girlfriend! Congrats!"

Both children blushed brightly, but before either of them could say anything, Rose suddenly intervened upon noticing the many small cuts the fryboy carried. "Oh my Stars, are you alright?!" She said while beginning to cry and approaching the pair.

"Whoa, it's okay Rose! I just-" Peedee said before some of the pink-haired woman's tears touched his skin, after which all of his bruises disappeared. "Huh?!" The two humans said at the same time.

"Oh right, the healing tears." Peedee said casually, but before he could continue, a magical portal that appeared out of nowhere, with a large pink lion stepping out of it and then lying on the floor.

"... Okay, right." Connie said, wondering if she was awake.

"I have several questions." Lapis said, not knowing of the magical pet's existence until now.

"Speaking of questions, do any of you know where Steven is?" Peedee asked.

"Wait, you two know him? Is he your friend?" Pearl asked back, smiling widely when the children nodded in agreement.

Amethyst snickered at this. "Looks like he's doing pretty well for himself after all. Guess P's not as rusty when dealing with people as I thought."

"We haven't seen him for days!" The usually shy Connie shouted suddenly, hoping that these strange women realize that the situation was quite serious.

"What?!" The motherly blue gem replied in an uncharacteristically loud voice.

"Me and Steven had lunch together five days ago. After that, he left to continue with his training on gem stuff that I don't know a lot about. Problem is, he didn't come back." Peedee gave a very reduced version of what had happened.

"Did he happen to be with someone who happens to look just like me?" Came another question, the former slave's voice carrying subtle but noticeable traces of anger.

"Yeah! He kept calling that lady 'Teacher'." The boy began. "Right before we had lunch, she said said she had something really important to tell him about a pretty nasty nightmare he had the day before we met."

Pearl gasped. The nightmare her little son had just before she left him with her renegade counterpart was **that** serious? Most importantly, what in the Stars' holy name did she tell him?

While this was all happening, Connie couldn't stop thinking about how meeting a boy who she thought was completely normal by pure accident somehow led to her coming in contact with a bunch of superpowered women who can apparently teleport, as well as a pink lion who could do the same thing. Not only that, but this fry-haired fellow she was with, who was undoubtedly an ordinary if mature child, didn't do so much as bat an eye to any of this. How in the world did she get into such a situation, and why didn't Steven tell her anything about it?

Why didn't he open up to her the way he obviously did to Peedee? The rational side of the girl's mind said that he must've had a very good reason to do so, but the idea of being seen by her first real friend as some sort of backup plan still hurt.

Thankfully, the conversation in the real world prevented Connie from dwelling in these ugly thoughts too much.

"What are we waiting for then, we have to go!" Pearl shouted.

"Garnet?" Rose asked nervously.

"It's all blurry, things took an unexpected course." The fusion replied.

"Very well."

"Hang on, don't just disappear! We wanna go too!" Peedee said.

"Yeah!" Connie added.

"Then step up on the pad already." The mere possibility of Steven being in danger was enough to alter Pearl's behavior, and it showed. Even though the Crystal Gems already knew just how much the former slave loved her son, they would probably never get used to this kind of change. Lapis, meanwhile, remembered how she was threatened for insulting the hybrid. Honestly, she couldn't wait to meet him. Whoever could make a pearl threaten a lapis lazuli by her own volition had to be a very interesting person.

\------------------

The Sky Arena's warp pad shone brightly, and soon enough five gems and two very wobbly children were standing on it. In spite of their initial nausea and dizziness, however, Peedee and Connie's senses were soon brought back to normal due to a sudden cold wind that the gems didn't notice at first.

"Never seen this happen here before..." Rose remarked.

"Oh no." The fryboy said in horror as he shook his head, looked around and realized what was happening.

It was snowing. And judging by the pink-haired woman's reaction, this wasn't natural. Which means there could be only one plausible reason for this phenomenon. Also, was that the sound of two swords clashing in the distance?

"Don't do anything rash now." Garnet said as she put a hand on Peedee's shoulder before glancing at Pearl. "And that applies to you too."

The motherly blue gem glanced back before calming down somewhat. She trusted her ally's future vision more now.

The group then walked up the stairs leading to the main arena, the sounds becoming louder and louder, and Peedee more anxious. There was definitely a battle going on nearby, or at least a very intense training session.

Connie couldn't stop shaking, and neither could her fellow human. Neither of them were anywhere near prepared for this kind of weather, and unless it changed fast, both would get sick soon. She wondered why he was so scared right after seeing the snow. She would know the answer soon.

The scene the seven people stumbled upon made made their bodies freeze in place.

Far away, right in the center of the arena, a visibly tired and bruised Steven was staring straight into the red eyes of a holo-pearl in front of him, while another one stalked behind his back. Rather than the navy blue shirt and jeans everyone was so used to see him in, the hybrid was now wearing a blue, sleeveless tunic with a green bandana around his waist, a much more approriate outfit for his exercises. He was also wielding the glaive Garnet had given him during their little trip to the Strawberry Battlefield, and although the weapon seemed too big for him, it didn't look like he was having any trouble holding it.

But the one thing that caught the group's attention the most was his expression. The hybrid seemed to be almost as cold as the ice and snow that surrounded him, calm and completely focused on the battle at hand. His heavy breaths, as well as the several small cuts and bruises that covered his arms in locations, indicated that said battle had been going on for a while now, and he seemed to be at a disadvantage.

Meanwhile, (other) Pearl stood totally still at the bottom of the staircase, watching everything unfold with sharp, hawk-like eyes. At least until she realized that she herself was being watched as well. Upon turning around and seeing everyone, the pale teacher immediately gestured for them to stay silent. After that, she silently sighed in relief after realizing that her student hadn't noticed the others yet, since such a distraction could've ruined this entire session. There was no room for error here.

Suddenly, the first holo-pearl lunged forward at its target and launched a series of stabs and slashes, which were all blocked, while the other one kept to itself, waiting for an opportunity. Steven wanted to swing his glaive and take the initiative, but not only he had to defend his own fingers -which, he noticed, were the automaton's real targets- but also had to watch out for the one circling around his back. He had no choice but to stay on the defensive.

And he did so until the gray hologram abruptly stopped its attacks and leaped backward. Steven knew what this meant: its partner was going to attack him a moment or two later. Aware that fighting these things one at a time was useless, since they would just swap places with each other until he fell from exhaustion, the hybrid charged at the foe ahead of him, delivering several strikes that were all unfortunately blocked. Now he was sandwiched between two murderous robots armed with very sharp swords.

Ironically enough, perhaps, Steven's position had improved massively. By staying between the two holo-pearls at close range, they had to be much more conservative in their attacks, lest they end up hitting each other by accident, and if one of them tried to step away, that would create a huge, if brief, opening that could be exploited.

The chance finally presented itself: the automaton facing Steven went for a stab, and both he and its companion ducked underneath it. In the split moment before either holograms could fully recover, Steven slashed his attacker's leg, destroying its physical form in the process. Its sabre fell on the floor with a loud clank.

One down, one to go.

Suddenly, the student ran away from his remaining opponent, trying to gain as much distance between it and himself as possible. Predictably, the automaton raced after him, but there were still a few meters separating the two combatants. That was more than enough for what the he was planning to do, as long as everything went right of course. And this time it would, it had to. Unless the young Diamond managed to control this power, he would always be a danger to everyone near him, whether friend of foe. Which was why he kept practicing the very move he was about to do now, even if it had blown up on his face quite literally multiple times now.

Steven took a deep breath. (other) Pearl watched him with deeply worried eyes, while the others, not knowing his intentions, stood by trembling in curiosity and anticipation.

A small glowing white orb the size of a tennis ball appeared above the hybrid's right hand. One moment later, it abruptly grew into the size of a basketball. This was usually the moment where he lost control and everything went south, but not today. Not when he had a very clear target approaching him fast. This was not the powerless Ruby from that horrible dream, but a very obvious threat ready to kill him.

This was an act of self defense. And he was doing it for her.

With the flick of a wrist, Steven threw the orb at his attacker. The holo-pearl attempted to block it with its sword, but the projectile immediately exploded on contact, sending it flying back with tremedous force and making it drop its sabre. Steven had no trouble in running up to the defenseless automaton and stabbing it right in the middle of the chest with his glaive.

He had finally done it. This long week had finally paid off. And he couldn't be happier.

"I did it!" Steven shouted with childlish joy and raised his arms, looking nothing like the cold young warrior who just defeated two holo-pearls set at the highest difficulty setting at once. The student eagerly turned to face the person whose efforts made this triumph possible. "Teacher, I-!!" He froze in the spot and dropped both his jaw and weapon upon finally realizing that she wasn't the only person watching him.

The five gems and two humans, all of them with stars in their eyes, couldn't believe what they had just seen, and even Garnet was visibly impressed. (other) Pearl, meanwhile, couldn't help but smile proudly. The staredown went on for a few seconds that felt like an eternity.

Pearl was the one to break the silence. "That. Was. AMAZING!" She shouted before straight up leaping several meters into the air and unintentionally tackling her son to the ground. "Oh my baby, I missed you so much, and I was so worried! You were so calm and elegant and precise and perfect and intelligent and..." And so she went on with a seemingly neverending barrage of praise.

"Welp, P rubbed off on him alright." Amethyst remarked to her leader and Garnet as the Crystal Gems reunited after a week of separation. However, only the fusion got the message, since said leader was too busy unleashing another tide of compliments on her closest confidant.

"You said you could do it, and you didn't disappoint!" Rose said before giving (other) Pearl a bear hug. "I don't need any more evidence to see that your work as a teacher is still outstanding!" The pale teacher blushed and giggled in response.

"Hey," Connie turned to Peedee as they climbed down the staircase step by step in their painfully average human speed, "is it just me or is the snow melting way too fast?"

"I take it he didn't tell about any of this, did he?" Came the reply.

"No."

"I'll tell you everything I know later." Peedee began. "Better yet, he will."

Back on the center of the arena, Lapis, who flew in after her liberator, watched the motherly hug with some concern. "Hey, I think you're overdoing it!" She remarked, fearing the hybrid, who was blushing so brightly his face looked like a tomato, was being hugged too tightly and could potentially suffocate. All she got in response was a double glare from the pair, one that, if looks could kill, would've shattered her like glass. The message was very clear.

"... Okay, nevermind." The aristocrat slowly backed away, feeling chills down her spine. "I'll, just, um, stay here." She didn't know which one she was supposed to be afraid of the most. _Thank the Stars I'm in good terms with them..._ She thought.

Lapis' interruption gave Steven the chance to get up (which allowed his mother figure to see just how much he grew) and talk. "Pearl, there's so much that happened during this week that I don't know where to even begin! First Teacher took me here, and the training she gave me was really cool even if it hurt a bit," He began, the lie about just how painful (other) Pearl's lessons really were rolling out of his tongue with ease, "then I made two really nice friends named Peedee and Connie, then me and Peedee had lunch together, then-"

"Hey hey, remember to pause!" The smiling motherly woman said, interrupting him. "It's hard to talk if you don't take some time to breathe. Speaking of friends, I've made a new one too!" She then properly presented the two waterbenders to one another. "Steven Universe, this is Lapis Lazuli. Lapis Lazuli, this is Steven Universe."

"Um..." Lapis was understandably unaware of what was the correct human greeting to use in this occasion, so she used the one she knew best: a diamond salute. "I'm, uh... pleased to meet you, I think?"

The gesture made Steven hesitate for a few moments before introducing himself, something that was noticed by the two blue-skinned gems. "It's a pleasure to meet you too." The hybrid said with a slight hint of nervousness in his voice.

Pearl knew this wasn't the right occasion to ask questions, so she ignored it for now. "Lapis has the ability to control water. Naturally, I thought she would be an excellent teacher for you, along with your current one."

Steven's eyes widened, and he gasped. "Welcome aboard!" He said with a grin before hugging the aristocrat who, unsure of what to do, just stood there. "Eh... right." She said.

"So **this** is what you've been up to for the past few days!" Peedee shouted as he and Connie approached their mutual friend.

"Connie, Peedee!" Steven shouted back before hugging them both.

"That was awesome!" Connie was the first one to say. "But... I don't even know what to ask right now, I mean..." Her smile faded.

"Yeah dude," Peedee added, "we were worried sick!" He finished.

"I..." Steven sighed, looked at the ground in shame and turned to Pearl, who looked at him with concerned eyes. "Pearl, could I, Connie and Peedee have some time alone, please? There's a lot that I need to tell them."

"Of course you can, sweetheart." The motherly woman began. "In the meantime, me, Lapis and the others will discuss our mission and figure out what to do next."

With that, the three children walked back to the staircase, climbed up, and only stopped walking once they were right next to the warp pad and safely out of the gems' sight.

It was time to talk.

\------------------

Several minutes later...

"So, let me get this straight." Connie began, just to make sure the huge amount of information she received was actually real. "First of all, not only your dad is Mr. Universe, but your mom was a giant alien queen?"

"A dictator who killed a lot of people, yeah." Came the answer, spoken in a way which made the two humans cringe.

"You have a rock stuck inside your chest instead of a heart?"

"Yep."

"You had a nightmare that was actually a flashback that wasn't yours."

A nod.

"And, among other things, you can control the **weather**?"

"... I have no idea. I mean, I freeze things up when I get angry, Peedee and Teacher can vouch for me on that, but that blizzard was just crazy." Steven finished.

"Look, sorry if I'm being aggressive, but how long were you going to keep with that? The ghosting, I mean." Connie asked.

"I... don't know. I really wanted to talk to you guys, but..."

"Dude," Peedee sighed and put a hand on the hybrid's shoulder. "please, just get the thought that you're a danger to everyone around you out of your head. If there's anything bothering you, just talk to us."

"Yeah." Connie said in agreement.

"How can either of you be so sure of that?" Steven got up. "I mean, I-"

"Tried to help me with my job even though we didn't know each other yet." Peedee interrupted him.

"But-"

"Come on, you're gonna spend the rest of your life afraid of what **could** happen?" Conne knew she was being a huge hypocrite right now, but it was for the greater good. "I don't want to make this about me, but I used to think the same way. I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life alone, without any friends, until you showed up. You showed me just how important it is to open up and be honest to people. **You** did it."

Silence. Time for a double hug, and the two humans did just that.

"You're a good person." Peedee began. "And that's why you can talk to us whenever you think it's necessary, even if you're feeling really, really awful." He finished.

"Yeah. Because it's okay to feel like that sometimes." Connie added.

"You guys..." Steven began, tears welling up in his eyes, "I really want to believe that, but-"

"No 'buts'!" The two humans said at the same time while tightening their hug. "We're here, and we'll always be." Peedee said. "Please, let us be a part of your universe." And Connie completed.

This was too much. The hybrid hugged his friends and began crying profusely, letting out five days' worth of pent up feelings. To his amazement, he realized he was the only one who was doing so, and that only made him cry harder, but this time out of joy: the control he had over his gem was improving so beautifully that he no longer had to worry about making others shed tears that weren't theirs.

They were right. Why did he always worry so much? He may be a gem, but he was a human too, and that made all the difference in the world. And though his mother was a murderer, there was no one forcing him to take the same path she did. Quite the opposite, really.

"Hello?" A voice called from a distance. The trio turned around and realized that its source was Rose, who was standing on the entrance of the arena.

"Come here!" Steven replied.

In typical Rose Quartz fashion, the pink-haired woman effortlessly jumped into the air, then floated gracefully to where the children were. "I'm sorry if I interrupted anything, but could you two please give me and Steven some space?"

"It's no big deal, we just finished talking anyway."Peedee replied.

"So, when are we going back?" Connie asked. "Because if I spend too much time away from home, my mom's gonna kill me." Rose's eyes widened. "Uh, not really! I was just saying that she'll be upset." Connie raised her hands to emphasize that everything was alright.

"Don't worry, we'll return to Beach City soon." The rebel leader said with a warm smile. "By the way, why do you have those things in front of your eyes? I always forget what they're called..."

"Oh, these? They're my glasses." Connie began. "My eyes have a problem, so I can't see well without them."

"A problem, you say? Hmm, I might just be able to help you with that..." She put a hand on her chin.

Steven's eyes widened, and he grinned. "That's a great idea!" He said.

"Wait, what are you guys talking about?" The nervous girl looked at the two gems.

"Well, here goes nothing." Rose said as she shed a single tear and put it on her index finger. "Just stay still." Then, the curly-haired woman booped Connie's nose.

"Ngh!" Connie flinched reflexively as she felt something happen with her body. "What was that?"

"Try seeing without your glasses now." Rose said, the young girl acting accordingly. To her amazement, she realized her eyesight was now completely fine.

"M-my eyes..." Connie was at a loss for words. "You fixed them!"

"I'm glad to know that worked." Rose smiled once more.

"Hooray!" Steven celebrated.

"But I- I don't even know you!"

"That is irrelevant. What is relevant is that I helped you." Rose replied.

"I don't even know what I'm gonna say to Mom! Thank you!" Connie then hugged the giant woman in gratitude before following Peedee, who wasn't as visibly amazed since he had been already touched by Rose's tears today, back to the arena and out of the two gems' sight.

"Heh, she's such a goody two-shoes it's not even funny. Every now and then she comes to our restaurant and asks if we need something fixed." The fryboy remarked.

Rose and Steven were now completely alone.

\------------------

"Please sit down." She commanded with a soft voice, and the hybrid accordingly sat on the warp pad.

"So, how have you been?" She asked after sitting right next to him.

"I'm a lot better now." He replied.

"But you weren't before, were you?" She began. "We spoke with your teacher, and she told us everything. From your nightmare, down to what she told you about your mother." She looked at him with sorrowful eyes. "That was why you caused that blizzard, right?"

Silence.

"You were in pain."

More silence.

"And you still are."

Steven got up. "Ma'am, if you're going to make me dwell on that, I respectfully ask you to stop. Not that I have that power, but please."

"I am here to apologize on behalf of us all." She said.

"What?"

"You knew, from the first moment you met us, that we and your pearl weren't friends. Even if you didn't know the full extent of our old emnity, you still knew that something was wrong."

"I heard her calling you a monster."

"And that made you paranoid and afraid we were going to shatter her. I can't even begin to imagine just how horrible that must've been for you, to walk beside people who, for all you knew, posed an immense danger to you and your family. We should've been honest with you." Rose's frustration with herself was noticeable. " **I** should've been honest with you."

"Hey, that works both ways. I wasn't exactly clean with you guys either..." Steven said as he sat back down.

"You're a ten year old child who just went through a growth spurt. We are four immortal warriors who spent thousands upon thousands of years sharpening our abilities." Rose replied. "And I am their leader. There is a very obvious power imbalance here."

"Well, if Teacher keeps training me the way she's been doing for this week, that difference will be gone sooner than we think." The hybrid giggled.

"Heh, that is correct. She is the best of the best."

"Ma'am-"

"Please, just call me Rose."

"Rose, if you're being genuine, please be honest right now." Steven looked at the rebel leader straight in the eyes. "Are you afraid of me?"

"No."

"You can't be serious."

"I am."

"But Mom-"

"You're not your mother, and besides, I'm not a saint either." Rose began. "You see, back when I didn't know you very well, I actually planned to use Amethyst as a means to separate you from your pearl and sway you to our side."

"You didn't!" The ground beneath the hybrid's feet quickly froze up with a flash of anger, only for the ice to melt away instantly. "Sorry..." He scratched the back of his head.

"And so am I. I didn't know you loved her that much, not until I put the pieces together and realized that your insistence in not sleeping during our trip to the Great North was a way to protect her from us."

"I love her and Dad more than anything else in the universe." Steven began. "Back when I was little, my gem scratched my lungs a lot, and there were times where I couldn't breathe because of just how painful it was. Every time that happened, they put these little tubes in my nose that pumped air in my lungs when I couldn't do it. They saved my life more times than I can count, and did lots of other good things for me." He continued. "I had -no, I **have** \- to protect them. And I will do so with my life if necessary."

This little speech left Rose on the verge of tears. "That was beautiful..." She whispered while clasping her hands together.

"Um, I may have overdone it." Steven blushed.

"Perhaps. I assume Connie and Peedee are now part of that list?"

"You can bet your gem on that!" His blush disappeared.

Rose got up. "Speaking of your friends and family, I think we've kept them waiting for long enough, don't you agree?"

An enthusiastic nod.

"Then let's go get them, we're getting out of here."

"Yes, ma'am!" Steven proudly walked behind her, not as a hostage who disguised himself, but as a genuine follower.

He was a Crystal Gem now. And he never felt better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really, REALLY enjoyed writing the last scene. I had written Rose as this tough, smart leader far too much, it was time I brought out her softer side.


	17. All Clear Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven finally comes clean to his family about his nightmare and everything else.
> 
> After that, he has his first hydrokinesis lesson with Lapis Lazuli.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ladies and gentlemen, it's back!
> 
> In case anyone has difficulty picturing how tall Steven is right now, he's about as tall as canon Steven is in that episode where he shapeshifts himself to look taller in his birthday.
> 
> https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/steven-universe/images/8/89/Steven%27s_Birthday_060.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20160829164121
> 
> As always, please point out any typos or incoherent parts if you notice them.

\------------------

It had been a long, long week.

Back in Seoul, Greg was afraid that, with both Steven and Pearl very far away, he would have little if anything to do other than sign this or that paper, close down his shop and spend the time watching TV until they came back.

Boy, was he wrong.

The poor man couldn't believe just how much bureaucracy he had to go through to make sure his new, hard earned fortune stayed in his hands instead of being held up by this or that bank/government agency. The most ridiculous part of it all was that ten million dollars wasn't even that much money to such groups (but it obviously was to ordinary people, especially considering one dollar was worth like three or four won nowadays), who were used to deal with greater sums all the time. After three days of signing papers, waiting for more documents to arrive and then repeating this process until everything was done, the musician had at last truly become a millionaire.

And he knew exactly what he intended to spend his millions on. But that could wait, for the special day was still too far in the future. He didn't know it yet, but the Crystal Gems' transition from enemies to uneasy allies and finally genuine friends would make his master plan a lot easier to turn into reality.

With the bureaucratic front having been dealt with, it was now time to pack up the music store he loved so much since its purpose had already been served and the Universe family didn't need it anymore. This too was a much more complicated task than anticipated, considering the almost literal mountains of instruments and other miscellaneous things stored within, and Greg privately contemplated if it was better to wait for Pearl and Steven to come back instead of trying to pack everything up all by himself. The former's super strength and knack for organization would definitely be very helpful.

In the end, he decided against it, for both the former slave and his hybrid son were without a doubt already working and training their butts off, and it would've been incredibly disrespectful on his part to just sit around and do nothing like some lazy fatso. It took Greg two whole days to put everything in order and close down the shop for good, after which many of his muscles were quite sore (he wasn't used to so much physical labor) and he spent the following day almost bedridden.

The seventh day came. Steven and Pearl could show up at any time. And yet, there was still one crucial thing the musician had to do, something his son could **not** know. Intending to talk to one of his old acquaintances from Beach City who he had just reconnected with, Greg briefly wondered who to call before settling on Mr. Fryman.

Making sure that he was alone and that he had dialed up the number correctly before pressing the green button on the phone's screen, Greg waited with growing anticipation and uneasiness. He hoped he wasn't about to interrupt the poor man in the middle of his job. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long for the call to be answered.

"Hello, this is the owner of Fryman Brothers Incorporated speaking. Who am I talking to?" Mr. Fryman asked, seemingly unsurprised and almost bored by the fact that he was called by his personal number rather than his workplace one.

Naturally, this only made Greg more nervous, and he gulped before answering. "Um, hello, first of all I hope I'm not wasting your time."

"Hang on," The other man's voice suddenly sounded a lot more inquisitive and less 'business' like. "Do I know you from somewhere? You sound kinda familiar..."

Greg almost sighed in relief. "Yeah, Amethyst introduced us to each other a while ago, remember?"

"No way!" Mr. Fryman shouted. "You're that 'Steven' kid's father, the former rockstar who lives in Korea, right? How come I keep seeing him and not you?"

"It's a really, REALLY long story, but the Gems are involved in it and I had to leave him in their care for a while." The retired singer replied before a wave of uneasiness washed over him. "Wait, is everything okay in there? Did something happen?" He asked, worried.

"Nope, nothing at all." Mr. Fryman replied. "It's just that he and my son Peedee are basically BFFs now. I even saw them having lunch together once!"

"Really?" Greg's eyes and voice lit up. "He's always been really shy." What an understatement.

"So, what do you want?" Came the question.

"Right." Greg began. "Do you know if there are any abandoned or empty properties nearby? Figured out the time had come for me to retire to some warm, sunny place and spend more time with my son instead of at work."

"Heh, you and me both." Mr. Fryman giggled with a slight hint of sadness before continuing. "And no, I don't know anything about that, sorry. Maybe the Gems can help you out with that since your son's super chummy with them, I know Rose would probably agree to that."

Suddenly, Greg jolted and almost dropped his phone when he heard the clicking sound of a key being inserted and then turned. They were back!

"Oh crap! Sorry, I'll talk to you later!" He whispered quickly before ending the call.

"Oh Greeeeeeeg!" Pearl swung the door open with uncharacteristic eagerness. Clearly, she had a very good week.

The musician, who was in the kitchen, put on his best smiling façade before going to the living room to greet her and Steven.

\------------------

It didn't make any sense.

Steven had become much better at interacting with people and controlling his powerful emotions with each passing day, so why was he so uneasy with seeing his beloved dad once more? He may not have powers, but that didn't keep him from helping as much as possible no matter the situation, something the hybrid was deeply grateful for. This weird, bubbling anxiety in his chest definitely didn't come from fear: there was no way Greg would react to the new him negatively. Maybe this was how other people felt when they had to show things like new tattoos to their parents and such.

The thing is, the physical changes Steven went through were much more dramatic than that. As if going through a growth spurt, becoming noticeably thinner and having his hair become longer and straighter wasn't enough, he had grown to the point that the only outfit that still fit him comfortably was his training tunic. He bet Greg wouldn't even notice Lapis Lazuli tagged along since the bulk of his attention would be focused on him.

The boy gulped nervously as his mother figure opened the door. This was it...

"Oh Greeeeeeeg!" She said, making her presence known to anyone who might be in the apartment.

"Oh hey there gu-" Greg walked out of the kitchen pretending he hadn't just finished a very important conversation before abruptly stopping in his tracks.

"... Oh My God..."

"Um..." Steven began with an unusually low pitched voice as he timidly approached his father. "Hi, Dad?"

The musician and the hybrid stared at each other for a few seconds that felt like an eternity, with the former looking up and down as if trying to process just how much his son changed in the span of a week. Lapis nervously glanced at Pearl, who was grinning and almost glowing with pride. The silence ended after Greg noticed one precious little detail: his eyes. Though his body was clearly tired, the boy's eyes showed just how much happier he was then before.

And that was more than enough for Greg's astonishment to be replaced by a tide of joy. Rather than saying anything, he simply hugged his son with all the strength he could muster, to which Steven eagerly responded in kind.

"I expected at least a few words..." Lapis remarked, puzzled.

"Sometimes they aren't necessary." Pearl replied.

"It looks like you've been away for a year! What the heck happened?" Greg asked after the hug ended. "And who are you, ma'am?" He said upon noticing Lapis' presence.

"My name is Lapis Lazuli." She said before extending her hand, feeling a jolt run through her spine when Greg shook it. "I'm... pleased to meet you?"

"Where do we even begin?" Pearl thought aloud while Greg and Steven sat on the couch while she and Lapis each sat on a chair.

"Let me start this since there's no magic involved." The man said. "I signed a buch of paperwork, wrapped things up back at the shop and closed it up for good. The end. Now it's your turn." He turned to Steven.

"Come on, Dad..." The hybrid whined. "That was way too quick."

"No stalling, buddy." Came the playful response.

"Yeah, I would love to know." Pearl added with a smile.

"Okay, here we go..." Steven sighed. It's not that he wasn't eager to tell them what happened, of course not, but rather that he wanted to hear Pearl's story first. But there was no convincing either of them, and he knew it.

Several minutes later...

"... and that was how Dad and his awesome music got Connie's parents together!" And thus Steven concluded his story. He started with how he met Peedee the day before (conveniently omitting the fact he lashed out at him) and how they started hanging out together, how (other) Pearl wasn't as scary as she first seemed (downplaying just how arduous his exercises were and obviously hiding how he almost killed her in their first session) and finally ending with how he met Connie.

Both Pearl and Greg were grinning from ear to ear. Their son had grown so much!

Lapis, however, wasn't. Not only she, who was only beginning to learn the basics of human behavior and culture, found herself unable to empathize much, but the long years she spent imprisoned in the mirror left her deeply skeptical of almost everyone except for Pearl, her liberator. And she was fully aware that Steven was hiding something very important, something that Pearl, blinded by her pride and joy, had clearly forgotten about.

"So Pearl, how was your week?" The hybrid asked, surely hoping his subterfuge would go unnoticed.

 _Oh no you don't!_ Lapis thought. "Wait a minute. Aren't you forgetting a little something?" She intervened, getting everyone's attention while doing so.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Steven wasn't expecting to be caught, and it showed.

"Ahem." Lapis shot Pearl a glare, and just like that she remembered the subject, gasping after doing so. How could she have forgotten about it?

"Steven... you were going to talk about it sometime, right sweetheart?" The motherly gem looked at her son, hoping he wasn't about to lie to her. "Your nightmare?"

"What?!" The temperature plummeted for a split second before returning to normal. "Didn't Teacher tell you about it?"

"She told the others, including Lapis, but I refused to hear it." Pearl began. "I didn't want to offend your privacy."

Those last words hit Steven's nonexistent heart as if they were serrated knives. She was so much better than him, and how did he pay her love back? By playing that stupid charade long after he figured out that she and the Crystal Gems weren't friends, and, worst of all, by eavesdropping some of her conversations with Greg. The hybrid almost fell off the couch, not hitting the floor only because Greg caught him. Not that the others wouldn't have done it either.

"Kid, kid!" The musician shook his son so as to snap him out of whatever awful trip he was going through. The air had become so cold his breaths were steaming, and the once joyful boy now looked extremely depressed. Thankfully, his state of shock "only" lasted a few painful seconds, and soon enough the temperature returned to normal once more.

"I had hoped I wouldn't ever need to talk about that again." Steven said with a sigh. Rose did promise to be honest with him, so why shouldn't he act the same way to his own family. Hadn't he already learned that running away was not a solution?

"Very well, here we go."

And so he explained everything to his parents, just like he did to (other) Pearl and Peedee. How he woke up on a throne and was immediately entralled by an overwhelming sensation of power as he realized just how immensely tall he was, and how he noticed something was seriously wrong when he took a good look at Pearl, who was standing perfectly still, almost like a statue, and wearing that awful leotard. How powerless he felt when he was unable to get off the fancy cage he was in when Rose attacked, to just how horrified he was after realizing that he was about to shatter an innocent Ruby.

That last part made Greg and Pearl gasp in horror while Lapis simply looked on, having already heard this story. Though she didn't display any outward reaction, she was in fact keenly interested: shattering someone for fusing with a gem who wasn't of her own cut was one of Homeworld's most basic laws, and Steven's genuine terror at the mere idea of doing so showed just how soft he truly was. Heh, a soft Diamond. This planet was something else...

"And that was why I kept screaming in my sleep. I begged my body to stop, but it was acting on its own. Despite all the power I had in that moment, I was a hostage." He finished.

"And even so you decided to train anyway?" The former slave asked, her wide eyes hidden behind her bangs.

"There's more." Steven began once more. "Pearl, remember when I said I was sorry for not paying attention to your English classes? That... wasn't really what I was sorry for."

An uneasy silence, a sign for him to go on.

"I... I knew. I knew it all along." The hybrid looked down, clenched his fists and barely choked a sob. "I knew from the moment you and Rose met that you two weren't friends. Then, as if that weren't enough, I eavesdropped on a conversation you were having with Dad, and heard you calling her a monster. I had to help somehow!" He caught his breath. "I owe everything to you and Dad, I shouldn't ha-"

"Why didn't I notice it?" Pearl interrupted.

"Huh?"

"I lived with you for your entire life, all ten years of it, and yet I didn't realize you were lying to me. Heck, Garnet told me about this **twice** and I refused to hear it! Are you that good an actor, or am I that stupid?" She completed. Steven felt himself shrink, almost literally. He had sworn to protect her, and yet here he was, hurting her with his behavior.

"Come on, I didn't notice it either!" Greg said in an attempt to comfort the former slave.

"That just means you're-" Lapis, who had put a hand on Pearl's shoulder, fortunately caught herself before she accidentally insulted both of the adults she was talking to. Still, it was enough for Steven to send a brief but furious glare. _He's a Diamond, alright..._ The aristocrat thought.

"It means things get blurry when you think about people you love." A slightly annoyed Greg retorted, clearly getting what she meant. "And that goes both ways." He glanced at his son.

"Thank you, both of you." Pearl began and gently took Lapis' hand off her shoulder. "I assume your teacher told you about the war then, right?"

"She had to, considering how the nightmare was basically..." He paused. "... Did Mom really try to do that? I mean, Teacher did have a good-"

"She did." The motherly gem cut him off. Nothing good would come from him distrusting the Crystal Gems. "I watched it all, and I also saw her change to the better."

These last words brought a smile to Steven's face, something that made both of his parents smile as well. "So the tape was true then..." He said.

"Wait, what tape?" Greg asked.

"Oh, right." Came the answer. "Teacher and I found an old tape on our training ground, a floating arena in the middle of the sky. We watched it in an old TV that was in the store Peedee works at, and it basically showed a younger you doing some funny things," he looked at Greg, "and Mom talking about how beautiful this planet was and how I could choose to be whoever I wanted."

The two blue gems' eyes widened. Nobody saw it, but Pearl was slightly hurt at being excluded from such a beautiful moment. She didn't even know about it!

"THAT's where she hid it?!" The former musician began. "I've wanted to show you that tape for like a million years! Is it with you right now?"

"I let Teacher keep it so she could show it to Rose and the others."

Lapis, who was until that moment a silent and serious spectator, suddenly began to giggle, catching everyone by surprise. Soon enough, these giggles turned into loud laughs, and a couple of seconds later she struggled not to fall to her knees and just roll over laughing.

"... Lapis? What happened?" Pearl asked nervously.

"I can't believe this is actually real! I'm not dreaming at all, this planet really is something else!" The aristocrat said before emitting a loud, satisfied sigh and facing the Universe family. "An ownerless pearl who mingles with organics and makes her own decisions, a Diamond who talked about gems not serving the purpose they were made for as a good thing, and you!" She pointed to Steven. "Simply extraordinary. No wonder she almost punched me when I called you an abomination. Pearl, I'm so glad you convinced me not to fly away after you freed me. This week's been a very enlightening experience."

"Wait, freed you?" The hybrid asked.

"Can we talk about it in detail later? I'd love to go on about how I was imprisoned in a mirror for five thousand years because of that damned war, but it would ruin the mood." Both Greg and Pearl shot the aristocrat a glare that practically screamed 'What the hell are you doing?!', but she just shrugged.

"... Right." The response wasn't really reassuring, but the boy understood her reasons.

"So, what do we do now, buy new clothes for him?" Greg asked. "I mean, I can always get you some of my old merch, unless you're bored of the blue shirt-jeans combo."

"Bored? Never!" The energetic hybrid replied. "Let's go on a trip, all four of us! We can take the warp a-"

"Wait a minute, darling." Pearl interrupted. "You've been through quite a lot today, don't you think you need some rest?"

It was time to deploy the secret weapon: puppy eyes.

"Oh no, anything but that!" Pearl said. "Alright alright, fine. We're going." She sighed.

"Yay!" Steven almost jumped. "We could go somewhere in a beach so Lapis can teach me how to control water better!"

 _You clever little shit..._ The gem in question thought with a smirk.

"Actually, I have a better idea. Let's all get ready." Pearl then looked at Lapis. "You'll love it."

\------------------

Some time later...

The group traveled through the warp stream without much difficulty. Greg still didn't quite get the hang of it, but at least he didn't plop like a fish out of water once the journey was over. Once the light died down, their eyes were greeted by a landscape that the two full gems were very familiar with, but neither organic had ever seen before: an enormous spire, at least a couple hundred meters tall, surrounded by an artificial waterfall that formed a circle around it, and illuminated by the full moon shining directly above. It was beautiful.

Lapis, not believing what she was seeing, gasped loudly as she exited the warp pad. "It's still here..." She grinned, clasped her hands and almost squealed. "It's still here!"

"Wow..." Greg gasped as well. Good thing he brought a lighter and some firewood...

"Pearl, what is this place?" Steven asked.

"It's the Lunar Sea Spire. Back in its heyday, over five thousand years ago, it was a sanctuary for gems here on Earth." The former slave's gemstone created a hologram showing several people of all shapes and sizes walking and interacting with each other in a hallway.

Lapis summoned her wings and flapped them with so much force that the gust of wind they created almost made the hybrid fall over.

"Well, let's not keep her waiting!" Pearl said as her fellow family members followed her into the spire. The inside was even more exquisite than the outside, with statues depicting humanoid forms that were obviously fusions thanks to their multiple limbs, as well as several elaborate patterns on the walls.

Steven was amazed, but Greg visibly less so. "It's too empty..." He remarked while feeling the cold breeze from the ocean.

Lapis was sitting on the staircase looking much less cheerful than before, clearly sharing the former musician's sentiment.

"Hmph. How ironic..." She giggled bitterly as the group approached. "Everything looks fine at first, but deeper down it's clearly not. I remeber walking through this place up and down multiple times with other members of My -- Blue Diamond's court as if it were yesterday. And now we're the only ones left." A sigh. "What's the point of beauty if there's no one to look at it?"

"Well, I am..." Steven said.

"That's right." Pearl offered her hand to the aristocrat so as to help her get up. "We all are. And while we can't restore everything to its former glory, we can take care of what's left."

Lapis eagerly took it. "Alright, let's stop brooding about the past and get to the top of this thing already."

The Universe family then spent the next twenty minutes or so walking up the stairs in a steady pace, with a silence that was only broken whenever Steven asked a question about how the structure worked, why the statues looked like cross-gem fusions even though they were forbidden by Homeworld, if there were any monsters in here, if everything in here was illuminated with light from the outside, etc.

At long last they reached the top, and the view of the clear starry sky, the full moon and the peaceful ocean that stretched as far as the eye could see was simply breathtaking.

"Hey, remind me to write a cover about this later." Greg whispered to his fellow parent, who giggled and said "Right." in response.

"Hmm..." Lapis said as she walked around and examined the area. "This is good, very good. We have a pleasant breeze, the moon is at its highest point so we're in the apex of the high tide, the weather is clear, which means we won't have any sudden storms for a while and provides us with a beautiful starry sky to behold. So, are you ready to begin?" The aristocrat finished.

"Yeah!" The enthusiastic student exclaimed.

"Good, very good." Lapis smirked.

Steven had seen this kind of smile before: it was the type that showed the person behind it was about to pull the rug from under him. Steven jumped to the side at the last moment and a bucket's equivalent of water suddenly fell on where he was just one microsecond before, creating a puddle.

Greg and Pearl, sitting at a distance so as to not interfere, were once again amazed at their son.

"Sharp reflexes! Excellent!" The aristocrat remarked, not moving an inch. "However..." A hand emerged from the puddle and moved to grab one of the hybrid's legs. Steven jumped once again, and for a moment it seemed that he would avoid getting hit, only for the hand to suddenly change its shape into an amorphous blob that splashed the boy as if it were a garden hose. "So, what did you learn just now?"

"That you're really good?" The drenched and embarrassed student replied.

Lapis snorted in response to this comeback. "Ha, that too. But where did you think this water came from?"

"You took it from the ocean while I wasn't looking?"

"Wrong. Even if I did want to do that the spire has a gravitational field that prevents me from doing so. No the real answer..." She said before snapping her fingers, a motion that made the water that soaked Steven's body disappear in an instant, making his jaw drop instantly, "is that water is **everywhere**. It's under the ground, in the air, frozen solid and, of course, in its liquid state. And as you can see, it's a very malleable substance."

Lapis then made another demonstration, creating a liquid bubble out of thin air, splitting it into several pieces and transforming them into multiple sharp icicles before returning to their liquid state and form a puddle on the floor.

"Oh my God..." Steven said with stars in his eyes.

"Pearl said you can control small amounts for short periods of time, so come closer and do exactly that. I want to see how you do it." Lapis commanded.

Steven complied, approached the bubble and extended his left hand toward it. With much effort and visible strain, he managed to separate a small, floating blob from the main puddle for a few seconds, only for him to lose control and even his balance from exhaustion. "I've practiced it every now and then", He said while catching his breath and putting his hands on his knees so he wouldn't fall, "ever since I met the Crystal Gems, but it always ends like that. I hoped this time would go differently since I can now handle Teacher's nasty holograms, but guess not." He finished after standing fully upright.

"Honestly, this is quite possibly the single worst technique I've ever seen. If this is how you practice your hydrokinesis, it's honestly a miracle your gem didn't crack out of exhaustion." Lapis said bluntly after crossing her arms.

"What?!" Steven shouted in disbelief while Pearl's eyes drilled holes on the back of the waterbender's skull.

"Hey hey hey, now!" Lapis said and raised her hands so in a gesture for her fellow gems to calm down, especially her liberator. "We've come here so I could teach you how to control water properly, and that's exactly what we're going to do. Right, Steven?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"To begin, I want you to sit down, take deep breaths and relax." Steven obeyed. "Water is constantly changing, flowing somewhere, evaporating, solidifying. It never stays still. Your mistake was trying to swim against the current. Now, close your eyes and try to sense where the water in this puddle is going."

The student tried to extend his hand, only to be stopped by his instructor. "With your mind." She said. Steven remembered how he commanded that hologram's blood stained sword to stay still in his first sparring match and tried to do the same thing again, only through pure willpower rather than gestures instead.

"Wrong." Lapis said as soon as he attempted to do that. "You're still attempting to command it to go in a direction it's not supposed to. What you need to do now is to **feel** , not to control. Take your time."

Steven wanted to grumble out of frustration. Why was this so freaking hard?

"Your breaths are getting faster. Calm yourself." Lapis put a hand on his shoulder in support. "Come on, you didn't defeat those two holo-pearls by acting rashly. You can do it."

Upon hearing these words, the little knight immediately got all irrelevant thoughts out of his head and focused on what truly mattered: his family, friends, and all the good things they did for him. This was why he was doing this, after all, to pay them all back for their good deeds. As the minutes passed, however, even these thoughts and images vanished, and soon enough the only things Steven paid attention to were the cold salty wind touching his skin, and the sound of the cascading waterfall deep below.

Until a new, indescribable feeling entered his mind. It was like he had become one with all the water surrounded him, its constant movements, waves and the multiple forces that channeled it in several directions. He barely held back a gasp and kept his eyes shut, fearing that any mistake would end this marvelous experience, before feeling an immense but somehow comforting pull that called him and the water into the heavens.

On the outside, the boy's parents couldn't believe what they were seeing: the puddle before him began to rise into the air in a long, shapeless yet somehow almost serpentine form. "I really should've brought a camera..." An astonished Greg remarked to Pearl, who slowly nodded in response.

To say that Lapis was proud was an understatement. However, she eventually decided that her student had done enough and had to be brought back into the real world. The aristocrat commanded the water above to abruptly move in a completely different direction, something that awakened Steven from his trance.

He was disoriented at first, but recovered his senses. "What... what was that? I felt like there was something pulling me up."

"That was the moon's gravity." Lapis began with a smile. "It's because of that force that this planet's oceans rise and fall so dramatically. Wonderful, isn't it?"

"Yeah..."

"Now, do it again! Once you get the hang of it we'll move on to more advanced stances."

"Yes, ma'am!"

The hydrokinesis class went on for hours, with Steven's grasp over this crucial power becoming more and more refined with each try. By the end of this first session, the two waterbenders were locked in a graceful, synchronized dance. The hybrid was so focused on the lesson at hand that he didn't notice his parents whispering to each other about something very, very important.

Their future home in Beach City.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rose and the others fixed the Lunar Sea Spire "offscreen". That's why it's still around.


	18. Steady, Steady

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beach City and the Crystal Gems go through a normal day. Normal by their standards, at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to announce that this story is, in fact, still alive and well! Sorry to keep you waiting.
> 
> Since Rose, Garnet and Amethyst know next to nothing about technology and machines, they leave Pearl mostly alone when it comes to actually building the drill so as to not get in her way. Since they've only begun, however, this approach will likely go through some major changes.

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(other) Pearl and Amethyst's relationship could be best described as a rollercoaster, one full of high points, low ones as well as plateaus, stretching back thousands of years. When the latter was found all alone in the Prime Kindergarten by the former, Rose and Garnet, she immediately took a liking to the renegade-who-was-actually-still-a-slave's cool and serious outer attitude, even though her attempts to start some kind of conversation were more often than not politely declined since said renegade's affections were completely turned to her leader and owner, even though she unknowingly slapped her in the face every time she took in a new human lover.

Frustration inevitably and understandably set in, and (other) Pearl started to pay attention to Amethyst not only out of genuine interest, but also spite, not that Rose (who despite her genius could be as dumb as, well, a rock sometimes) noticed it. As decades went by, the two gems became practically inseparable, always going on missions together, where they were an absolutely fantastic duo whenever fighting was required, or just spent time with one another, sometimes even fusing into Opal for prolonged periods of time when they were alone every now and then.

Then Rose's latest lover inevitably passed away from old age, and (other) Pearl immediately ran into her owner's arms to comfort her as if their relationship was completely stable and healthy. Amethyst, infuriated and unaware that her girlfriend was programmed to please Rose and obey her every command without a second thought (and was, in fact, forbidden from telling the truth about their relationship), angrily broke off and started to wander around on her own, also having multiple affairs and one night stands in the process. But this wild lifestyle eventually lost its charm, and at the same time Rose got a new lover, getting into (other) Pearl's nerves and making her turn her attentions to her purple teammate once more.

Rose gets a lover. (other) Pearl and Amethyst get together. The lover dies and the "renegade" returns to her owner, while Amethyst runs off on her own. Rose gets a brand new lover. Rinse and repeat for fifty centuries. It was a vicious cycle that neither the little quartz soldier nor the slave were able to break out of. And with the Cluster providing a threat that required their combined effort, both of them knew it was about to happen again.

\------------------

This introduction clearly went on for far too long. What were they doing to prevent the Earth's imminent destruction, you may ask?

(other) Pearl was a mechanical genius, so the task of designing and assembling the drill fell upon her, while Amethyst, who had enormous mountains of all sorts of junk in her room, much of it still very useful, supplied her with machine parts, tools and scrap metal. Rose and Garnet also helped with that task, of course. To prevent Steven from learning about the Cluster too soon (which would just stress him out unnecessarily), the Crystal Gems and (blue) Pearl agreed that they should do the job in an undisclosed location in the middle of the desert that surrounded the Beta Kindergarten.

"So, P," Amethyst began after dropping an old airplane engine right next to the mechanical monster her teammate was building. Rose and Garnet had already brought along a considerable amount of material (a bunch of motorcycles and couple of refrigerators, respectively) by themselves and departed a quite while ago, leaving the pair alone. "You've been working on this thing nonstop for like two days now. How about a break?"

(other) Pearl was too busy welding some metal plates together to hear the purple gem's question, much to her frustration. With no other choice, the purple rebel grabbed a random pebble on the ground and threw it at her teammate. "Hey!" She shouted.

The renegade was so focused on what she was currently doing almost jumped after feeling the little rock hit her skin. "Amethyst!" She grumbled crankily, not enjoying having her job be interrupted. "What is it?" The two consecutive days of continuous hard work had taken their toll, and it showed.

"You look like a zombie. Seriously, let's get out of here so you can take a nap or something." The purple gem said.

"My task is far from over, I can't do that. Besides, gems don't need to sleep." Came the groggy reply. She didn't like to dream. Too many bad memories.

"Uh huh." Amethyst rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Well, I bet you'll fall asleep the moment I push you over. Plus, the longer you stay up the more likely you'll do something stupid, and Rose and the others will get worried. Who knows, maybe Steven's asking them questions like a machine gun. You could definitely help with that."

"Alright, fine." (other) Pearl conceded. "You can go and warp ahead of me, I'll stay here for a few more minutes."

"Not gonna happen." Amethyst then grabbed her comrade by the arm, swung her over her right shoulder as if she were some piece of luggage, and started walking to the Beta Kindergarten and its warp pad.

"Let go..." (other) Pearl protested weakly.

"No."

The renegade was too tired to struggle away from Amethyst's grip. Or maybe she missed being so close to her, who knows.

\------------------

Hours later, in Beach City...

After a hydrokinesis lesson that went on for much longer than any of them anticipated, a testament to Steven's newly acquired stamina and stubbornness, the Universe family warped into Beach City, something they were so used to do by now that the difference in time zones barely affected them.

They came in just in time to witness the Crystal Gems mopping up the latest monster of the week, a giant blue scorpion/crab creature that was taken out after Garnet flipped it over and held it down while her teammates struck its vulnerable underbelly simultaneously, poofing it in an instant. With the corrupted gem bubbled, the rebels turned to the temple and, logically, their friends, only for their eyes to be greeted by a sight that made Amethyst burst into giggles and Rose gasp in shock.

Greg and Lapis were alright, but Pearl...

Well, she was busy trying to cradle a soundly sleeping Steven in her arms as if he were a baby, but he was obviously too big for that, and it showed. Though she was greatly strained, the hybrid remained asleep, something she was immensely proud of.

"Pretty sure that's not how you do it, Bloop." Amethyst snorted, to which the motherly blue gem just grinned in response.

Rose extended her hand so as to nuzzle it against the sleeping hybrid's cheeks involutarily, but contained herself before touching him. "I- um, sorry about that. What happened?" She asked, blushing.

"Just a moment." The motherly gem replied with her trademark soft voice before gently placing her son on the ground and, after that, summoning a small mattress, a pillow and a blanket. Once all these things were neatly organized, it was just a matter of making sure Steven was as comfortable as possible.

But before Pearl could answer Rose's question, Greg unexpectedly got in the way. "Actually, there's something I've been wanting to ask you guys too." He began. "I watched him train for a few hours before falling asleep, and when I woke up he was STILL training. Heck, Pearl had a hard enough time convincing him to stop!"

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Moments ago, at the top of the Lunar Sea Spire...

"For the last time, my baby," Pearl began with a soft but annoyed voice, "it's **well** past your bedtime. You look exhausted."

"I look awesome..." The hybrid, who at this point had huge dark bags under his eyes, replied. Greg and Lapis just looked on, the former just having finished getting everything ready for them to leave while latter crossed her arms, clearly disagreeing with her student.

Pearl just grumbled at her son's reply. "Sure you do." She said before tipping him over with the tip of her index finger and then gently cradling him so as to keep him from hitting the ground too hard.

The hybrid's eyes closed to moment he felt his mother figure's arms wrap around him.

\------------------

"What did you people put him through?" Greg finished.

"Relax, relax, it was nothing he couldn't handle." (other) Pearl, who looked much better after a few hours of desperately needed rest of her own, replied. She glanced at her fellow rebels, who nodded in agreement.

"Alright." The former musician remained unconvinced, noticing that Amethyst's expression in particular was more unsure than that of her colleagues, but he wouldn't gain anything from pressing the matter further, and he knew it.

"So, what are going to do now?" Lapis asked, wanting to get out of the temple already since she hated closed spaces for a very good reason.

"We do have many things to discuss." Rose replied.

"And most importantly, who'll protect him? I don't have superpowers like you guys, and I also got stuff to do here." Greg stepped in once more, pointing to Steven.

"I don't see any threats coming our way." Garnet replied before she found herself pierced by the combined glares of the two Universe parents. "... But, if you insist, and both of you surely will, I can stay here and watch over him. He'll be up in a matter of hours, after all." She completed in her usual flat tone.

"Which will hopefully be enough. Thank you, Garnet." Pearl said as she and everyone else walked out of the cave. Greg looked back at his son and then at the fusion one last time, flinching a little when she gave him a thumbs up. He knew she and the other Crystal Gems weren't potential enemies anymore, but they were still strangers to him, and that was more than enough for his fatherly instincts to act up. Thankfully, Pearl's trust in them did wonders to calm him down, since this wasn't something that was earned from her so easily.

It was time for him really get to know this place and its inhabitants, and for that he'd need to do more than have a shallow conversation with this or that person. He knew exactly where to begin, but before that he had to keep an ear out for another very important conversation unfolding at the moment.

"So, any news about Peridot? What about the drill?" Pearl asked, uneasy.

"Nothing yet, thank the Stars for that." Rose replied, visibly worried. "And the drill..." She glanced at (other) Pearl, who looked at the ground.

"We - well, I - started working on it two days ago. I can say with certainty that the project is going somewhere, but at this rate it'll take a few months - months we may not have - for it to be complete, and that's an optimistic estimate." She said with a shaky voice.

"So we're basically fucked unless we stumble on some very convenient treasure cove of gem tech? Something like those ball robots we broke?" Amethyst asked.

A lightbulb lit up inside Pearl's head as she remembered a place from long but not too long ago. "That's it!" She exclaimed.

"Nice." Amethyst smirked.

"It's not exactly a treasure, but there was..." The former slave's mood suddenly fell as she remembered some of that place's... uglier details. "A laboratory focused almost exclusively on the Cluster project. It disappeared from imperial records about two thousand years ago, so I can't say with certainty just how useful any machines still there could be for us, but it's definitely worth a look. Maybe the sensors in My Diamond's palanquin could help us find its exact location."

That did wonders to raise the group's morale, and Greg decided he had heard enough and set off to do what he had to do.

Maybe he should've stayed a little while longer.

\------------------

A few minutes later...

Lapis wasn't really sure of what she expected in Beach City. There were so many things in her mind right now - her hydrokinesis lesson and Steven's remarkable but unsurprising endurance, the fact this planet still felt so **weird** and alien to her, the Cluster and Homeworld's inevitable return - that she in fact barely thought about it at all. Even so, she certainly did not expect to not get so much as a raised eyebrow from the local citizens. She should've known better - the rebels were obviously well known here, after all - but still, this was very strange, having random people on the street wave at her or, more likely, Pearl and Amethyst.

The former slave's revelation gave the gems a new high priority target, but since there were always little loose ends left to tie up - Beach City was never totally safe, and with a growing number of prototypes running loose that became even more obvious - they had plenty of time, hours or maybe even days, to spend patrolling or otherwise not doing much until the next big mission. Which would certainly involve Steven. _Wow_.

Lapis didn't - couldn't, perhaps - feel completely free. No longer trapped in the mirror, she now felt bound to Pearl, her liberator, and followed her wherever she went, often holding her hand. She, Lapis and Amethyst were headed to the house of a certain Vidalia, who, if the short purple gem's description of her was accurate, 'Bloop' would take a liking to at the first sight since she was an artist. The former slave was obviously excited to meet such a person, but what about Lapis?

Did she want to do so? Actually, **what** did she want?

"What's wrong?" Pearl asked, noticing her inner turmoil.

"I... nothing."

"Lapis, **please**." The former slave had a stern expression, having had enough of being lied to.

"It's just that... can't we go somewhere else?" The aristocrat replied.

"Where?"

Lapis then stayed silent for several seconds before shamefully looking at the ground, trying and failing to come up with a place she actually wanted to go to.

"Wait a sec, did you only come along because of Bloop?" Amethyst stepped in, Pearl's eyes widening in realization.

The aristocrat almost shot back an insulting reply, but restrained herself at the last moment. "What if I did?" she asked back, voice dripping with hostility.

"That's horrible!" Pearl shouted unexpectedly, startling the other two gems. She knew what it was like to be completely bound to another person's whims, and she did **not** wish that upon anyone else. She wanted a friend (maybe more), not a slave. "Lapis, what do you think of, um... going solo for a while? I mean, not for long, but just a few hours?" Pearl gulped nervously, hoping she phrased her request properly.

"Why?!" Lapis retorted, offended that the person who freed her wouldn't want her at her side, before calming down somewhat. "I mean, if that's what you-"

"FORGET WHAT I WANT!" Pearl roared with such force that even she was surprised, and her fellow gems stepped back. Still, she couldn't stop now. "You have wings!" The former slave raised her arms for emphasis. "You don't have to follow me around like ... some..." Her voice shook, and she clenched her fists. "... pearl. Please."

"... Very well." The aristocrat promptly summoned her water wings, took off and disappeared.

"Sorry about that." Pearl said to Amethyst, who just sighed.

"No problem. Unless she goes AWOL."

"I'm quite sure that's not going to happen."

"Well, let's not keep Vidalia waiting then. I bet you two will talk about painting for hours..." That immediately raised Pearl's spirits.

 _Honestly, can't I have one damned day without some super emotional crap falling on my lap? Rose's the one who fixes stuff..._ Amethyst thought.

\------------------

Several hours later, back at the temple...

Nicely sheltered from the sun's light and heat, Steven finally started to wake up after some desperately needed hours of sleep that felt like heaven to him: he had gravely underestimated just how exhausted he truly was, but even so he couldn't stop thinking about just how many things he did before his body finally gave out, from defeating to holo-pearls at once to then learning proper hydrokinesis at an impressive rate. The best of it all was that he wasn't even sore!

 _Must've been those tears Teacher fed me..._ The boy thought as he looked around, somehow not surprised that he was inside the temple instead of his apartment.

He was certainly surprised after noticing a pair of eyes staring at him from close to the entrance soon after getting up. The person to which those eyes belonged to, a very small figure that was undoubtedly a child, bolted out of sight upon realizing that he had been seen.

"Hey, wait!" Steven put on his flip-flops and raced after the stranger, only to be forced to stop in his tracks because of the sudden brightness that invaded his eyes as soon as he left the cave. By the time his eyes finally adjusted themselves, he was alone in the beach. However, the boy got the itchy feeling that he was still being watched, and as he looked around the beach, the hybrid realized that there were plenty of potential hiding spots among all the rocks and rubble.

And he had a hunch of where the little intruder could be, a huge severed hand that was right next to the water. So he tiptoed until he was right next to that spot, and then...

"Aha!" Steven shouted as he leapt into the scene, finding... no one. "Aww..." He sighed in disappointment.

He didn't get to be dismayed for long, since he immediately felt someone tug at his shirt, and as soon as he turned around, there was the stranger, right at his side!

"Eh?! Where did you come from?!" Steven exclaimed in surprise, and the stranger, a chubby child no older than seven or eight who wore a white sweater, had a little tuft of hair on the top of his head and no visible ears for some reason, took a step back, seemingly ready to take off once more.

"Wait wait, no! I'm sorry, I didn't want to scare you, please don't go!" Steven pleaded. It worked, and the unknown child stayed put, eyeing him warily. His behavior reminded Steven of himself during the bad old days before he met the Crystal Gems, when he too was scared (to put it mildly) of meeting strangers.

Steven knelt down on the sand so as to make himself look smaller and less threatening. "My name's Steven Universe. What about yours?"

The child nervously looked around for a few seconds, unsure of if or how to answer. Then, he crouched down and wrote the letters O-N-I-O-N on the sand.

"Your name's Onion?" Steven asked, the child nodding in response. _Onion? What person names their kid **Onion**?_

The hybrid didn't dwell on this question for long, for he felt a lightbulb light up in his head the moment he heard the sound of a wave crashing nearby. "Hey Onion, wanna see something cool?" He asked with a smile, and a curious Onion raised an eyebrow.

With last night's lesson still fresh in his head, Steven extended his arms to the sea and commanded a sphere of water about the size of a large yoga ball to rise from it before commanding it to come closer with slow, controlled gestures. Once said sphere was right next to the pair, they noticed that it had several fish of multiple species swimming within, some of them quite colorful.

Onion's eyes widened in amazement, and the once timid child started clapping happily at his new friend's incredible ability.

They weren't leaving this beach so soon.

Meanwhile, a very proud Garnet watched the scene unfold from the top of the lighthouse which stood above the temple.

She was so proud her future vision didn't notice someone showing up right behind her.

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Many hours before...

Lapis had forgotten just how **wonderful** it felt to fly all by herself. Now THIS was freedom! It had been so long since the aristocrat last cut loose that she almost flew into space by accident before she finally stopped flying upward and descended below the clouds to adequately examine the vast landscape below her. From an altitude of about two kilometers, Beach City was nothing but a little blip surrounded by green fields on one side and the endless ocean on the other.

"Hmm... where do I go from here?" She thought aloud. On one hand water was her element, but on the other the bulk if not all of this planet's civilization lived on land, so ther could be interesting things for her to see. The little she had seen of Seoul on the way to Steven's reminded her of a greatly diminished version of Homeworld's great ecumenopolis, and she wondered if this end of the planet had a similar city. Pearl had told her that some of Earth's larger settlements were generally located near the coastline or other major bodies of water such as rivers and lakes, so Lapis had a good idea of where to go.

Taking one last look at Beach City, Lapis took off at more than two hundred kilometers per hour. After then spending the next few hours flying over a mostly featureless and flat landscape dominated by a green coastline and a few hills here and there, dotted by a few settelements of varying sizes, a growing number of extremely tall buildings began to appear into the aristocrat's view. Though these skyscrapers were nothing compared to her home's gigantic spires, they were still a comfortably familiar sight to her eyes, and she smiled, happy that she had finally reached her destination.

In time, Lapis would learn that this place was called Empire City. For now, she was glad to be an anonymous tourist in an unknown area, and descended from the heavens to perch on what was the tallest building all around. As she did so, her ears were suddenly invaded by the bustling sounds of the megalopolis below her, a myriad of voices and car horns, while her nose was struck by the then unknown but surely foul smell of smog. Had she been an organic, she would've coughed.

It didn't take Lapis more than a few minutes to realize that any similarities between Homeworld and Empire City were merely superficial. While the former was neatly organized to the point that no gem was left not serving its purpose in its assigned workplace, the latter was a swirling, almost pulsating mess of people and cars moving into multiple directions at the same time, often colliding with each other, and many seemingly didn't do anything at all and were instead left by their own fellow citizens to rot in the streets.

The aristocrat and former prisoner couldn't believe that someone like Blue Diamond, who was well known for her obsession with organization, just like all her fellow Diamonds, and her ruthless and often cruel punishment of anyone who deviated from Homeworld's laws, could fall in love with this planet to the extent that she did. At the same time, Lapis also began to get tired of this city very quickly, since the more she explored it the more ugly aspects she discovered, and despite its ceaseless activity and colorful signs, Empire City seemed dead. Gray and dead, especially the poorer neighborhoods.

To make it all worse, Lapis was alone, and although she enjoyed flying around all by herself, she missed Pearl, Steven and even, though she would **never** admit it, the Crystal Gems. She wondered what they would all think of this giant city, considering the place they lived in likely had only one hundredth or thousandth of its population at best.

An hour after arriving in Empire, Lapis started the long return journey to Beach City. She took the same way she did when coming here, but instead of flying far above everything at breakneck speed like before she instead traveled at a slower pace and lower altitude, closely examining the countryside and coastline. She was amazed at their serene and simple beauty, often stopping several times just to enjoy the scenery. Maybe this was what charmed Blue Diamond: the kind of weightless peace and quiet that had ceased to exist in Homeworld long before the war, one which could perhaps make a person forget all of his or her past sins.

It took her five hours, almost twice the time she spent when flying the other way, but eventually Beach City appeared on the horizon, and Lapis couldn't be happier. She wondered what everyone was doing, and made a beeline for the temple, only for her joy to be replaced by anger when she saw Garnet on the top of the lighthouse. What in the Stars was she doing there?! She was supposed to be watching over Steven inside the temple, if Pearl and Greg saw her there they would go nuts!

"Fusion!" She shouted soon after landing right behind her. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Huh?!" Garnet tensed, having gotten so relaxed that she let her guard down, and reflexively summoned her gauntlets only to call them off soon after. "Oh, hello there Lapis Lazuli." She replied in her usual tone. "What is it?"

"You were supposed to be inside the temple, looking after Steven!" She began. "Do you have any idea how Pearl and Greg will react if - **oh**." She stopped after noticing the hybrid in question playing on the beach with Onion - and using his hydrokinesis to boot!

But before she could marvel at her student using his skill just as she taught him, Lapis' train of thought was interrupted by a very loud *ahem*.

"What?" She turned to Garnet.

"So, how was the trip? Anything interesting?" Came the question.

"Why should I tell you, fusion? That sapphire has it all figured out, I know it." Lapis replied after crossing her arms.

"Gratitude really isn't your strong point, is it?" Garnet sighed and took off her visor, staring into the now disgusted aristocrat with her three eyes, and she was very displeased. "I played an important part in setting you free, and you know it. The least you could do is thank me, but not only you didn't do even that, you refuse to call me by my real name."

"Your **real** name, Ruby and Sapphire? I don't have to be polite to your ilk, especially now that Pearl isn't around."

"The same ilk who freed you, a fusion and an **ownerless pearl**?"

"You don't get to address her like that!" Lapis roared.

"Why don't I? One of my components is a sapphire, a gem who outranks both of you."

"You sullied your title by developing feelings for a ruby."

"You sullied yours for a pearl. And I didn't even need to use my vision, that was just how obvious you were. I **know** you're going to fuse with her at the first opportunity. Come on, you hold her hand every opportunity you get!" Garnet replied with a smirk, fully aware that she was pressing a button guaranteed to cause a drastic reaction.

"What about it?! Where are we, Homeworld?!" Lapis protested impulsively before gasping and covering her mouth in horror at the severity of the words she just said.

"That's the point! This isn't Homeworld! This is Earth, where you won't be shattered on sight for saying something like that!" Garnet declared. "Countless friends of mine were broken, and countless more still were corrupted or turned into those... **things**." She shuddered as soon as she thought of the prototypes, then paused briefly as if trying to come up with the best possible words to say. "You obviously went through worse than I did, and I'm not asking you to just act like it never happened. What I'm asking you to do is to not let yourself become a prisoner of your own hatred."

Lapis was on the verge of a breakdown. She had finally become one of the rebels she so despised. "You did it... you finally did it!" She said while giggling, crying and leaning on the wall so as to not collapse. "There, I'm a Crystal Gem now, just like those two! Are you happy?!" The aristocrat went on her tirade before slowly sliding down onto the floor pathetically.

After a solid minute of quiet sobs, Lapis finally grew silent, and Garnet extended her hand so as to help her get back up. The former prisoner looked at said hand for a while before taking it.

"Ugh, this is ridiculous..."

"Welcome to Earth." Garnet replied with a warm smile as she summoned her shades and covered her eyes once more.

This made Lapis snort. "Alright, alright."

The two then decided to silently watch Steven and Onion play on the beach for a few more minutes.

"He learned all that in one go?" The fusion asked as she noticed the hybrid's waterbending tricks becoming more elaborate.

"He's a very fast learner, but I guess that's to be expected from a Diamond." Lapis replied. "One thing, did you ever think of what could've happened if Homeworld found him before Rose did?"

"I... prefer not to."

"Hm, understandable. Well..." The blue gem summoned her wings. "I better not keep Pearl and Amethyst waiting, they're probably worried sick. Well, Pearl at least." She waved. "Thank you... Garnet. For everything."

"Take care, Lapis Lazuli." Garnet smiled, waved back and watched the aristocrat fly away.

\------------------

A few minutes after that conversation, at the beach...

Though showing off his waterbending abilities to Onion and doing funny tricks with it proved to be very entertaining passtime for Steven, he eventually grew bored of it after around an hour or so, and his fellow child thought the same. The sun was setting and it was time to go home, so Onion, a person of action rather than words, abruptly stopped what he was doing and ran off into the city with amazing speed toward the house of his mother, Vidalia.

By the time Steven picked up on what the little human was doing, there was a considerable distance between them.

"Hey, wait!" The hybrid said as he saw Onion wave to him and disappear from his sight, and immediately raced after him. He kept on running, until...

"STOP!" A voice yelled suddenly, and Steven jumped in response. Soon after, a heavily built teenager wearing some kind of weird camo outfit appeared from behind a rock. "This is a restricted zone, only those with special clearance can enter!"

"What?" The boy asked as he approached the stranger. "What's going on?"

"I'm in the middle of a **very important** investigation, so please go away." The teenager replied. "Unless you have special clearance."

"... May I have special clearance?" Steven asked, bewildered.

"Hmmm..." The teenager looked at him up and down. "Granted." After that, he threw Steven four plastic bags. "Put these on your hands and feet."

"... Okay." The hybrid acted accordingly. "So, what are you doing?" Why was he so interested in some random weirdo?

"See those holes?" The teenager handed Steven a pair of binoculars and pointed at the cliffside, which was full of little holes that were perfectly identical to each other, likely the result of gem activity. "Their pattern is repeated over and over..." He stopped talking to take a picture with his phone. "Most people would say that's a coincidence. I say it's... something else."

"Such as...?" Steven got more and more confused.

"You'd already be in the know if you followed my blog, Keep Beach City Weird!" The teenager than practically shoved his phone on Steven face and kept scrolling down. "I document all the weird things that happen City! You can't always trust the books or what other people say, sometimes you have to hunt for the TRUTH!" He finished.

 _Oh great, a conspiracy theorist_. Steven thought as he rolled his eyes. Just as he was about to turn around and keep following Onion...

"There you are, Ronaldo!" A voice that undoubtedly belonged to Peedee called. This guy was Ronaldo Fryman, his dear friend's brother? "Dad wants you to help close down the shop for tonight!" Since Steven was still behind the rock, he didn't see him.

"I'm busy, Peedee!" Ronaldo shouted back. "Cover for me!"

"But I've already covered for you for the last couple days, and Connie's coming here with her parents tonight!" The younger brother pleaded.

"It's WEIRD time, I'm in the middle of something big here!"

"Oh fine, but this is the last time or else I'm telling Dad!" Peedee then proceeded to angrily walk away mumbling something, his voice growing smaller and smaller until it finally disappeared.

This brief exchange was more than enough to fill Steven's gem with a kind of rage he had never felt before. This lazy idiot was out here feeding his ridiculous delusions - had he never even seen the Crystal Gems before? - while his little brother was doing the kind of work HE should be doing! No wonder Peedee was such a downer when he first met him! And with this whole 'meet Connie's parents' thing (what did those two get up to while he was away training with Lapis?), he was undoubtedly even more worried than usual!

Ice began to gather below the hybrid's feet while a devious plan formed and took shape within his head - and there was no one around to watch or stop him since Garnet had already left the lighthouse.

Silently, while Ronaldo was busy looking at the wall, a water hand crawled out of the ocean and slowly crept up behind him. Then, when the time was right, Steven commanded said hand to grab the teenager's cap and pull it down **hard** , covering his eyes and taking him by surprise.

"Huh?! Who's there?! What's happening?!" The teenager screamed. But before the struggle could go on for longer, Steven snapped his fingers and the hand crumbled apart, drenching him. Then, before a very frightened Ronaldo could take off his cap and see who was responsible for all this, the hybrid bolted into the city, all the while giggling like a child who had just gotten away with a huge prank.

 _Ohohohoho, that felt good! Now, where's Onion?_ Steven thought as he looked around, grinning when he saw Onion waiting outside a house whose garage that was closed by a curtain rather than a real door. Realizing that he had been noticed, Onion waved at his friend to follow him before dashing past the curtain.

 _Wait... I've been here before!_ Steven thought. _This is - !!!_ The hybrid's thoughts were interrupted after he walked past the curtain, for his eyes graced upon Pearl painting something on a canvas while talking with a middle-aged woman whose hair looked exactly like a giant yellow onion.

"Mrs. Vidalia! Pearl!" He exclaimed.

"Darling, you're up!" Pearl replied, almost dropping her paintbrush. After putting said paintbrush in an appropriate place, she promptly walked to and hugged her beloved son.

"So that's why you were so happy when you came back!" Vidalia picked up Onion to also give him a good hug.

All the noise caught the attention of Amethyst and Lapis, who were until then in the living room watching whatever was in television at the moment.

"So I guess you guys are staying in for dinner after all, right?" Vidalia remarked.

"Heh, guess so." Amethyst replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally wanted to put Peedee and Connie's dinner in this chapter, but since said chapter became a lot bigger than I anticipated I decided to save it for the next one. This will allow me to give the both of them the space they deserve.
> 
> As you can see at the very beginning of this chapter, Pearlrose is one of my four NOTPs. The power imbalance between them is gigantic, which is bad enough, and the fact Pearl is Pink's slave - along with that damned gag order - makes it even worse. Pink's obviously still a saint compared to someone like Blue and Yellow (never mind White...), but still.
> 
> Also, Steven technically fought those two holo-Pearls and had his hydrokinesis lesson on the same day, and still wanted to push his limits further. He's got one hell of a lot of energy, which will come in handy in the future if he doesn't overexert himself before that, of course.
> 
> Onion might be a lot less creepy here, but he's still Onion. Expect him to get into all sorts of weird stuff.
> 
> And Ronaldo finally makes his appearance. I hope I made him every bit the hate sink that he is in canon, fuck that guy.


	19. Dinner and a Show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connie and Peedee's dinner is interrupted by several uninvited guests. A few days later, Steven goes to the doctor for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry belated Christmas, and I wish you all a Happy New Year!
> 
> Warning for a brief mention of domestic violence.

\-----------------

Every inch of Peedee's body shivered on the inside. He met this new girl just a few days ago, and only really bonded with her because of the fact they had a mutual friend. Well, that and because he saved her from being crushed by falling rocks. Then, it turned out that those weird looking Japanese comics ( **manga** , she reminded him) she (and Ronaldo) enjoyed reading were actually pretty cool and not just one of the many weird and not at all creepy obsessions his brother had. Once he managed to grab one after getting into Ronaldo's bedroom while he was in the middle of one of his "investigations" (its plot focused on two brothers looking for a stone that would allow them to get their original bodies back), it became very easy for the pair to talk about this or that scene from a series.

 **And now he was about to have dinner with her.** Why did he feel so weird, this was no different from having lunch with Steven that one time! Was it because she was a girl, because her parents were coming over, or because of the joke Amethyst made in those minutes before they reunited with Steven, or because she looked and sounded really cute whenever she nerded out about the inner philosophical meaning of a specific scene in a manga page? Whatever it was, the fryboy wanted it to end soon, and he was privately glad that he was going to cover for Ronaldo once again because it would give him something to do before the Maheswarans came.

Twenty or so minutes later...

This was it. Peedee had never looked this formal before, and he had never seen his father dressed like that either. They didn't look super fancy, but it was clear that they were going to an important occasion of some kind.

"Bet this feels really weird, right? Don't worry, I'm still getting used to it too." A smiling Mr. Fryman, also wearing a suit and without his trademark hat, offered his younger son some words of reassurance.

Peedee giggled and scratched the back of his head nervously. He kind of wished Ronaldo was here too, but considering who he was, he'd probably just scare Mr. and Mrs. Maheswaran away, especially now that he was ranting about how an "evil spirit" attacked him or something ever since he came back from "investigating" the cliffside near the temple. It was probably just a seagull that landed on his hat.

After some final preparations, the two went on a very long walk to the Crab Shack, a seafood restaurant located on the very outskirts of Beach City, right below the water tower and on the part of the peninsula facing Rehoboth Bay, the part that is sought after by visitors looking for a stretch of beach not as busy as the Atlantic side and its boardwalk. The Maheswarans were already there, waiting for them outside, and Connie waved at the pair when she saw them from afar.

"Oh, I'm guessing that's them, dear?" Mr. Maheswaran asked his daughter.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Maheswaran checked her watch and smiled after doing so. "Hm, and they're right on time." She thought aloud.

"Hey Connie, hi -" A lump suddenly appeared in Peedee's throat as his focus shifted from his friend (who, he noticed, still wore her glasses even though Rose healed her eyes) to the two adults. "Um, hi, Mr. and Mrs. Maheswaran."

"Sorry, it's just that we're so used to our little universe that it's weird to meet people from outside." Mr. Fryman put a hand on his son's shoulder in support.

"No worries, we get it." Mr. Maheswaran replied. "We move all the time, so it's weird for us too."

"So you're the friend Connie keeps talking about? The one who helped her a lot?" Her mother asked, Connie blushing in embarrasment.

"Well, I'm one of them, ma'am. My name's Peedee." He introduced himself, still nervous and a little shaky.

"And mine's Philip, Philip Fryman." Mr. Fryman followed and shook the hands of his fellow adults. "Please just call me Phil."

"Priyanka Maheswaran." The wife began.

"And I'm Doug." The husband completed.

Now that they knew each other's names, the two families entered a restaurant, found a table with enough seats for all five of them, then made an order. While they waited for it to arrive, the adults began to talk about many things, such as their backstories, professions, news and even politics. Peedee paid attention to as much of it as he could: apparently Priyanka was born in India, migrated to the US in her early twenties, studied super hard and became a doctor, while Doug was a security guard, and the two met in a music concert where the main star was none other than Mister Universe. It was nice to listen, even if things got a little boring.

But he noticed Connie wasn't having such a good time. The fryboy silently gestured to see if his maybe wanted to have a conversation about something interesting while their parents were busy talking, but all she did was glance at her parents, sigh and shake her head. This, combined with the fact Connie still wore glasses (that didn't even have lenses anymore) though her eyes were now perfectly fine, made Peedee very nervous. What kind of household did she live in? Were the Maheswarans super controlling, or maybe even like --

Oh, absolutely not. There was no way they could as bad as his mother was. He still remembered the yelling, the beatings and her being taken into a police vehicle, all the while firing all sorts of expletives at him, his father and Ronaldo. No wonder his older brother was so messed up.

Peedee snapped out of these horrible thoughts when the table and the ground suddenly began to shake, everyone getting up in response.

"What is happening?!" Priyanka asked nervously as the shaking grew more intense, strong enough to almost make her fall to her knees. This didn't feel like an earthquake, but rather the footsteps of a gigantic beast, and as soon as she thought these words the group heard a very loud roar, followed by a series of sounds indicating there was a fierce battle happening outside.

"I don't know you guys, but I think we REALLY should get out of here, so - " Doug was interrupted by Phil, who grabbed him by the arm before he could run for it.

"No! Believe me, that's the exact opposite of what we should be doing!" He shouted. "Let's all get under the table!"

"You KNOW what this is?!" Priyanka shouted.

Before the fryman could answer, a very loud crash was heard in the upper floor, like something had just been thrown onto the roof. Less than a second later that same object fell through the ceiling with so much force that even the floor broke. The humans quickly realized, to their horror, that the "object" was actually a person.

One the two children knew very well.

"STEVEN!" They screamed.

"Wait, **who**?!" Doug and Phil said at the same time.

Priyanka, a doctor and a mother, quickly and thoughtlessly rushed to where the boy was in order to see how bad his injuries were, even though her husband begged her to come back. Great, the one day she didn't have any spare bandages or disinfectants. "Can you hear me?" She said while trying to pick him up or at least drag him to a safer location.

"Ugh..." He stirred.

 _He's still conscious!_ Priyanka thought, surprised. Her knowledge and instincts told her the obvious reality that her patient needed to be brought to a hospital **soon** , but she was strangely optimistic for some reason.

"Why..." Steven, wearing his dark blue training tunic rather than his casual t-shirt-and-jeans combo (which would be completely unsuited for a battle), grumbled and huffed as he got his head out of the floor. "Why am I always the one who gets thrown into stuff?!" He thought aloud angrily as he slowly got on his feet, not aware of the woman beside him.

"WHAAAAT?!" Priyanka was unable to contain her astonishment. This was a child, no older then her own daughter, and yet here he was, slowly getting up even though he just fell through the ceiling! He had cuts and bruises all over his body, and there was blood dripping from his forehead onto the floor. There was no way he didn't suffer multiple fractures that would make even trying to stand up impossible in his current state!

"Oh no, I'm so sorry, ma'am!" The hybrid's features quickly softened as he apologized. "I know I look really bad now, but I swear I'm in more than capable -" His train of thought was interrupted when he noticed something oddly familiar about this unknown woman. "Hang on, you kinda look like..." His eyes immediately widened as he looked at the people behind Priyanka.

"Connie, Peedee!" He shouted with newfound urgency. His friends were in danger!

At that point, Priyanka's mind was processing so much information she felt she was about to faint. First, a giant monster attacks the restaurant, interrupting what was supposed to be a normal night. Then, a child falls through the ceiling and gets up like he just fell from his bike or something similar. Now, it turned out that this stranger knew her daughter!

"Look out!" Steven said as he pushed the human out of the way of a table that suddenly crashed through the window, sending glass shards everywhere.

"Baby!" Pearl called as she looked through the now broken window. "Are you okay? Where's your weapon?!"

"I think it's on the upper floor, I'll get it right away!" He replied.

"Hurry!" The motherly gem shouted before leaping back into action. She, Lapis and the other Crystal Gems were fighting a corrupted gem that looked like a mix of a crocodile and a snapping turtle, with most of its body protected by thick scales or an impenetrable shell, and even Lapis' hydrokinesis was having a hard time restraining it. Its bite was strong enough to crush solid concrete with no effort, while on the other end a long tail whipped and cracked menacingly, causing great destruction.

"Look," Steven turned to Priyanka one last time, "I swear I'll explain everything after this is over. Well, **we** will, but you get what I mean. Bye!" He then raced to the upper floor, leaving the speechless doctor to run back to where the other humans were, much to their relief. Not that their "shelter" would be worth much if the monster turned its attention to them, but still.

The hybrid found his glaive sitting next to the hole he made on the second floor, promptly picked it up and leaped back into the fight. They were trying to subdue this exceptionally powerful corrupted gem for several minutes with no luck, and all their attacks bounced off harmlessly, even in points that seemed vulnerable. For all their efforts, they just couldn't stop it.

Not without some serious extra firepower.

"Garnet! Amethyst! Pearl!" Rose called her three subordinates after healing Steven's wounds. "Alexandrite! Now!"

"Right!" All three gems responded and began to perform their synchronized fusion dance.

Unfortunately, it seemed the monster knew the danger the fusion would pose to it if she were to appear, for it immediately charged at its three components, hellbent on stopping them. Steven ran underneath the beast, avoiding its massive feet until he finally passed it, while Rose leaped to the side and out of its way. Before the gem could attack the trio, Steven summoned the single largest energy sphere he ever created, one so large he had to use both hands to "hold" it, and threw it at one of the beast's back legs.

The monster stopped in its tracks and glared at its minuscule attacker with one of its slitted, reptilian eyes.

"Hey, ugly! Come and get me!" Steven shouted, and soon enough the beast's tail began to swing in his direction.

"WHAT IS HE DOING?!" Pearl, who was far up in the air, carried by Lapis, yelled to her companion.

Before the monster's blow could connect, Rose summoned a spiked bubble and slammed its side so hard she managed to tip it over. However, the creature was still unhurt, and once it got back up it roared with anger and prepared to attack the rebel leader. Before it could do so, however, a blinding light suddenly appeared, turning then into a blob and finally a growing humaniod form. By the time the glow stopped, an absolutely gigantic, multicolored, six-armed woman stood where the light source once was.

Alexandrite had arrived.

"HEY!" She roared with such strength that the trees, smaller gems and humans in the area shook. "COME HERE AND FIGHT SOMEONE YOUR OWN SIZE!"

Steven's jaw dropped. This was like one of those kaiju movies! Little did he know that the humans in the restaurant were just as stumped.

The corrupted gem charged at Alexandrite, attempting to bite the giant fusion's midsection, but she grabbed it by the throat with all her six hands and kept its beak at bay. Meanwhile, Lapis summoned two massive water arms that grabbed the monster's back legs and then turned into chains, firmly pinning the beast in place and preventing it from pushing forward. The monster still roared and snapped furiously, now trying to bite one of the giant woman's arms.

It was then that Alexandrite had a daring and perhaps very dangerous idea. She used two of her hands to attempt to open the corrupted gem's beak by force and perhaps attack its vulnerable insides, but by doing so she had to shift her focus from holding its throat. Two hands weren't enough, so she added a new pair and slowly began to open her opponent's beak, revealing a mouth full of very sharp teeth. Down below, Rose summoned another spiked bubble and slammed the monster's side once again, while Steven summoned a slightly smaller energy sphere and attacked from the other side.

This combined assault was too much for the monster, and its jaw muscles finally gave way. Now that she finally had her opportunity, the mighty fusion revealed a horrific second mouth, one full of sharp and predatory teeth, just below her face, and shot a huge stream of fire right down her opponent's exposed throat. The corrupted gem screamed in pain, stopped its offensive and began to run away, coughing up smoke in the process.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Alexandrite yelled before grabbing the monster by the tail and spin it like a wrecking ball, letting go once she had enough speed to send it flying into the the bay. Then, two water hands appeared, grabbed the monster and solidifed, holding it in place for a few seconds and allowing the giant woman to finish it off. Alexandrite summoned a gigantic flail that looked like a fusion of Garnet's gauntlets and Amethyst's whip, spun it for a moment to gain enough momentum and swung it straight into the corrupted gem's head, poofing it in an instant. The battle was finally over, and Alexandrite, her purpose fulfilled, poofed as well, revealing three very tired but happy rebels.

With the threat dealt with, the gems finally lowered their guard, and Lapis landed with Pearl while commanding the water to bring her the monster's gemstone.

"You guys were amazing!" Steven said as he ran to them.

"Hold on there!" Before he could give the trio a big hug (well, as big as his little arms could handle), however, Rose put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him. "I don't think they're ready one of those just yet." She finished with a smile.

The group's celebration was interrupted by a horrified gasp emitted by Pearl as she looked at the corrupted gem's remains, which Lapis brought from the bay.

"What is-" Rose was about to ask before her eyes suddenly widened and she too fell silent, along with everyone else.

The monster didn't have just one gem, but **three**!

"A corrupted fusion?!" (other) Pearl exclaimed in surprise.

"No wonder that thing was so tough!" Amethyst added.

Garnet briefly gritted her teeth and shuddered, but didn't say anything.

Meanwhile, back at the restaurant...

"Woohoo!" Peedee said as he ran out to talk with Steven. His father briefly thought about stopping him, but decided to just follow him at a slower pace.

Connie wanted to do the same thing, but she was immediately stopped by her parents.

"Now just a minute here, young lady!" Doug was the first one to talk. "You obviously know a lot about those ladies over there, ladies you didn't tell us about. And **that's** Steven?"

"That's it, we're moving again!" Priyanka declared.

"But Mom, I-" Connie tried to protest.

"I will **not** risk losing you because of some - **wait a minute**." The mother replied before noticing a very important detail she couldn't believe she missed. "What happened to your glasses?!" Both parents' eyes widened. "How long did you use them without their lenses?!"

Connie felt herself shrink almost literally, and was on the verge of tears. This was one of the reasons she had so much trouble making friends before meeting Steven. Not only did they move around a lot, but both of her parents, especially Priyanka, put so many restrictions on her that she barely had any free time, only having it now because it was summer, which was ending soon.

Thankfully, something - someone - took up the Maheswaran parents' attention before they could continue to reprimand their daughter.

"Hey guys!" Steven called as he entered the restaurant through the broken window.

"Is everyone okay in there?" Rose asked soon after, following him. The other gems stayed outside, trying to repair some of the damage. The rebel leader's face lit up the moment she saw Connie.

"Oh my!" She dashed to where the Maheswarans were in an instant. "You must be Connie's parents! I have so many good things to say about her, she's so..." She stopped after looking at the humans' faces. "... Am I interrupting something?"

"No, you're not." Priyanka replied. "I understand you're one of her... friends?" The question made Connie look to the ground in shame, something the rebel leader noticed right away.

"'Friend' is too strong a word to describe me. Steven here, on the other hand..." She gestured to the boy who stood right behind her, "should definitely be called that."

"Um, hi, Mr. and Mrs. Maheswaran." The hybrid introduced himself. "I'm Steven, Steven Diamond Universe. I take it calling this whole situation weird is, um... a bit of an understatement?"

"Oh you have no idea." Priyanka privately swore her graying hair would turn completely white by tomorrow. "How on Earth did you stand up after falling through the ceiling like that? Actually, nevermind, how are you completely fine right now, without a scratch?"

"My tears can heal even the worst of injuries." Rose answered for the hybrid. Several seconds passed before she spoke up again. "Look, I don't know what you were talking about before we showed up, but if you're worried about what just happened here, I **guarantee** you that Connie won't get hurt. Never, in the five thousand years I spent protecting this place, did I ever need to use my tears on a human. **Never**."

"Wait, five th-" Now it was Doug's turn to ask, and he paused as this latest information entered his ears. "... Who are you?"

"Rose Quartz. I would love to explain more, but I think it's clear you need some time to sit and rest now." She turned to Steven. "Let's give them some space, shall we?"

"Yes, ma'am." But before he could leave, there was one last thing for him to ask. "Um, could I... ?" He asked as he approached Connie.

The two parents looked at him, their daughter, and finally each other, then stayed silent for a few seconds as if they were talking with each other telepathically. Finally, Priyanka and Doug replied with "yes" and "yeah" respectively.

Privately surprised that they agreed with him, Steven hugged Connie, to which the girl responded with a hug desperate it seemed she was holding on for dear life to a rock in the middle of the stormy sea, showing just how afraid she was that this could be the last time she saw her dear friend. She felt like she was crying an almost literal river of tears, but amazingly enough not one drop left her eyes. Clearly, Steven's emotional manipulation powers were doing their work, and the girl could hear a soft hum, almost like a lullaby, coming from his chest. Yeah, that was definitely his gem.

After many seconds that felt like an eternity neither child wished to end, Steven let go of the hug and bowed to the two adults shortly after. "It was a pleasure to meet you." He said politely before following Rose outside, his eyes seeing the destruction the monster caused. God, they had a lot of work to do, even if it wasn't anything their powers couldn't handle.

After Steven and Rose's intervention, the Maheswaran parents were significantly less worked up, and Connie privately wondered if the hybrid used his pathokinesis on them as well. Priyanka crouched down to her level, while Doug put his hand on her shoulder as a gesture of support.

"Now, first things first, dear." The mother began. "Why didn't you tell us about your eyes, or everything else? How long were you going to keep this up?"

"I... don't know." Connie replied.

"Why?" Priyanka's face showed concern as well as a bit of hurt due to being lied to.

"I didn't know who he was at first, I thought he was just someone who had the same interests as me. Then he ghosts me for a few days, I meet Peedee while looking for him and then, next thing I know, I see Steven fighting two nasty robots with a spear thing in a building floating in the sky!" The girl caught her breath. "And then Rose fixed my eyes. Oh, and before all that Peedee saved me from a bunch of falling rocks."

The two parents gasped, she hadn't told them that either!

"I thought that, if I told you about it all, and the monsters, you'd forbid me from coming here ever again." Her voice cracked. "I don't know, maybe you'd be right..."

"Wait, wait!" Priyanka put her hands on her daughter's arms, and her eyes widened in horror. "You're... afraid of us? Are we too controlling? I just -"

"You go through my phone every day!" Connie suddenly interrupted her mother, much to her own surprise. Was she still under Steven's pathokinesis? "I have no privacy, and I don't even know what a Cookie Cat tastes like! And, and... I don't know, all this magic alien stuff is messing with my head too."

"I, I..." The mother gulped and looked around, trying to find the right words. "I just wanted to protect you. **We** wanted to protect you. The fact you couldn't be honest to us, that's terrifying!"

"Well, they want to protect me too." Connie pointed to the Crystal Gems, who were busy repairing at least some of the damage and make the work of the people who would come to finish the job easier. "Especially him."

"Right." Priyanka began. "Look, I'll try to keep an open mind about all this. About them, and about him."

Doug stayed silent the whole time, mostly because he knew he didn't need to say anything at the moment. All he did was give his daughter's shoulders a squeeze, a supportive gesture that was worth a thousand words.

"So we're not going to move?" Connie's face lit up.

"Not yet."

"Yay!" She hugged both of her parents as strong as she could, a gesture they were all too willing to respond to in kind. As the trio exited the wrecked restaurant, they noticed Rose and Steven smiling, while the other Crystal Gems were either too busy or waved at them. The two Frymans were nowhere to be seen, for they had already started their walk back home.

As the Maheswarans walked to their car to do the same thing, Doug, out of the gems' earshot, finally opened his mouth: "Do you think he'd let you take a closer look at him, honey? As in, a medical check, just to be safe, because of the whole 'falling through the ceiling' thing?" He suggested to his wife.

"Hmm..." Priyanka replied.

 _Well, at least we're not moving..._ Connie thought. Biology wasn't exactly her forte, but she too was pretty curious about how Steven's body operated with a giant stone on his chest, one her parents hadn't seen yet, and according to him he'd never been to the doctor before.

\-----------------

A few days later...

Greg had argued that Steven needed to go to the doctor for a long time now, and still privately believed it was necessary even though he did concede to Pearl's arguments not to. Still, he never expected to actually accompany both his son and the motherly gem through the perpetually busy hallways of a hospital. As he and his fellow family members waited for their turn in a waiting room full of strangers, the former musician was privately amazed at just how much they changed: though Pearl probably only agreed to this because the doctor seeing Steven was none other than Priyanka Maheswaran, she still did, and the hybrid himself was extremely calm if a bit impatient in this situation, completely unlike the boy who was terrified by the mere idea of leaving the apartment he lived in back in Seoul.

"Steven Universe?" Priyanka called from her room, and the family, which had been waiting for their turn for around twenty minutes, readily complied. After a few initial greetings - during which Priyanka went from almost squeeing because she met Mr. Universe in person to almost going ballistic after learning that Steven never went to the doctor before, only stopping because her fellow adults explained just what their son was and how his physiology was completely different from an ordinary human's - the medical examination began.

First, the doctor measured her patient's temperature with a thermometer, which after a few seconds stood at 35.3 degrees Celsius, a little lower than average but nothing to be really concerned about, at least not yet. Greg and Pearl didn't mention Steven had the power to freeze things whenever he got too worked up, fearing things could get ugly if too much sensitive information reached her higher ups.

Next came his weight, which to Priyanka's surprise was about fifteen kilograms higher than normal for a child his age, even though he otherwise looked perfectly healthy. Once that was done, the doctor took an x-ray of her patient, hoping to see if his body had any fractures left from that fight and how his gem - which she hadn't seen yet but was pretty big and cumbersome according to his parents - interacted with the rest of his body.

While the computer processed the results and slowly formed an image of Steven's skeleton, Priyanka tried to measure his blood pressure, only to discover that the usual method to measure it was useless on him since he had no heartbeat at all. With that out of the way, she examined his eyes, which were perfectly normal, reacted to light the way they were supposed to, had brown irises and round pupils. The patient's exact height was also measured, showing that he was taller than Connie by a few centimeters.

Now it was time to take a look at the most peculiar part of Steven's body, his gem. The doctor asked her patient to take off his shirt for the moment, and after he did as he was told she couldn't help but stare at it in a mix of amazement and shock. Compared to Pearl's gem, a sphere which stood neatly where in the space between what would be her collarbone and her heart, Steven's was a huge and disproportional upside down kite that started in his collarbone and ended in his upper abdomen. Unless it was somehow hollow, Priyanka couldn't believe there was enough space left in her patient's body for his organs to function properly.

"... How can you even breathe?"

"It was really, really hard back when I was little." Steven began, looking at his parents before continuing. "Whenever I breathed too deeply, I felt what I guess are my lungs scratch against my gem, which hurt a ton whenever it happened." Priyanka cringed. "Pearl and Dad had to put those breathing tube thingies -"

"A nasal cannula." She corrected him involuntarily before apologizing. "Sorry, please continue."

"Put that-thing-whose-name-you-just-said up my nose so I wouldn't suffocate." He looked at Greg and Pearl again.

"I see. Anything else you'd like to say?"

Silence. Steven really wasn't comfortable giving this kind of information to someone who, despite being closely connected to one of his friends, was still a stranger to him.

"It's okay if you're not comfortable talking about this, I can't imagine what you must've been through. Can I talk to your parents instead?" The doctor asked in a tone that made her look like she was talking to her son.

A nod.

"Thank you." Priyanka then focused her attention on Pearl and Greg. "So, anything else?"

"Well, he eats, like, a **lot**." The father replied.

"He can eat a whole pizza all by himself if you let him." Pearl added.

"No surprise, his nutritional requirements must be enormous. Now..." The doctor turned her eyes to Steven once again and grabbed a stethoscope. "I'm going to put this on your gem as if to listen to your heartbeat. Can I do that?" She gestured to the instrument's bell.

The patient nodded, and Priyanka accordingly put the bell on the gem. She wasn't sure of what kind of sound to expect, but she definitely didn't expect to hear what she did: rather than a heartbeat or some otherworldly noise, she heard a long, continuous and uninterrupted flow that sounded almost like a river. That was definitely his blood, flowing close to or perhaps into the diamond. On top of all that, there was a low, nonstop and almost hypnotic hum, one which came close to making Priyanka sleep before she caught herself and took the stethoscope off her ears.

"Are you okay, ma'am?" Steven asked as the doctor shook her head.

"I'm... fine. I guess I just didn't know what to expect." She replied. Why did she still hear the noise? It was like a little pickaxe trying to dig through the walls of her mind.

The computer emitted a loud beep, warning that the x-ray was ready to be displayed. Priyanka told Steven he could put his shirt back on and went to inspect his skeleton personally before showing it to the others. Her eyes briefly widened, but she had seen so much weird stuff in the last few days and minutes that all she did was sigh. The doctor then got up from her seat, grabbed a controller and asked her three guests to come see the results on a larger screen on the wall.

"First of all, this," She pressed a button that displayed an ordinary human's x-ray, "is a typical human skeleton. And this..." She pressed another button that displayed Steven's chart. "is yours. As you can all see, it's still very much human, but the gem throws everything out the window, and because of it the ribs don't connect with each other since, among other things, there's no sternum. Frankly, I have to take back the breathing comment I did earlier, since right now I'm more surprised you have a functioning digestive system. Good news is, other than that your body is completely healthy, with no fractures or similar traumas at all. Rose wasn't lying about her tears."

After the three sighed in relief, Priyanka turned her attention to Pearl. "You, ma'am, your name is Pearl, correct?"

"Yes it is."

"Your gemstone is perfectly proportional to your body, and clearly not an issue at all. Why is Steven's so different? Is it a matter of type, or...?"

"My Diamond was, well..." The blue gem had difficulty finding the right words.

"Hm?"

Greg stepped in. "Let's just say she was one tall drink of water, doctor."

"Oh." Priyanka looked at the x-ray and back at the Universes again. "You've got a lot of growing left to do, huh?"

"Dear God, I hope not." Steven immediately replied, suddenly looking very depressed.

The humming felt like a wave of guilt. "Sorry, I didn't mean to say anything insensitive."

"It's alright, doc." Greg said. "It's just... something personal. Something we'd rather not talk about."

"Very well." Priyanka replied. "I guess this is it, you can all go now."

"Wait, before we go," Pearl said as she and her fellow family members got up, "can you give us our darling's medical information?" There was something off with her soft voice. " **All** of his medical information?"

"Sorry, I cannot." The doctor answered.

The blue alien took a single step forward. "I insist." Though her tone stayed the same, everyone knew what it meant. " **Please**." This was no plea, this was a threat. No wonder she managed to 'convince' Greg not to take Steven to a doctor for ten years.

Steven grabbed his mother figure's hand and looked up to her. "Pearl, we **don't** need this!" He begged.

"I'd rather not risk having you be taken away by shady agents and dissected somewhere, dear." Her voice softened, but only a little.

"Look," Priyanka interrupted before the exchange could go any further, "can I give you his x-ray? Anything more and this will look really suspicious to my superiors." She hid the fact she would've done that anyway.

Pearl looked at Greg, then at Steven, before facing Priyanka. "Acceptable."

The doctor then gave them a few papers containing different shots of Steven's chart while erasing the files concerning it from her computer, with Pearl leering above menacingly to make sure she did exactly that. "Thank you, Doctor Maheswaran." The gem smiled and bowed. "Have a pleasant day."

"Ugh..." Greg sighed.

"I'm really, **really** sorry, ma'am..." Steven apologized before closing the door.

With that, the three Universes left her room and made the journey back to Beach City. Finally alone, Priyanka collapsed on her chair unceremoniously and groaned.

She seriously needed a day off, maybe even a week. Well, at least the humming stopped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JoJo isn't the only anime I'm a fan of, hehehe.
> 
> I read on Reddit that some of Ronaldo's behavior could be attributed to domestic violence, which would explain why we never saw a Mrs. Fryman on the show. I just had to put it here.
> 
> I think it's very easy to see where a part of the paranoia Steven had in the earlier chapters comes from.
> 
> And, just to make sure nobody has any questions about this, I will not put Connie, Peedee and Steven into a love triangle, since not only I absolutely despise that trope, they're children. Steven's got enough stuff to deal with already.
> 
> Next chapter will come in sooner than usual, since it was originally meant to be a part of this one, but it would've become too big to read comfortably if I didn't break it up.


	20. Domino Effect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lion finally makes his move, one which has enormous consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goodness freaking gracious, this was a handful! I hope it was worth it.
> 
> We're reaching the last chapters of this arc of Steven's story, so things will get noticeably heavier from now on. Oh, and by noticeably heavier I mean one hell of a lot heavier, so please, please keep that in mind.
> 
> Lastly, if you find any typos, please report them. This chapter is HUGE, which means I might end up letting one or another error slip through.

\-----------------

A while later, back on the beach...

Connie and Peedee were busy silently reading a manga near one of the temple's many fallen hands close to the water. It was an ordinary, slow day in Beach City, and with the fryboy's older brother covering for him for once, there wasn't much left for him to do, his friend having a similar story.

Not much to do until their mutual friend showed up, that is.

"Hey guys!" Steven waved at them from a distance before running to where they were. "You okay? What are you reading?"

"Oh, I think you're gonna love this!" Peedee showed the manga's cover to him. "I found it in my brother's bedroom."

"Oh wow, I didn't know you were into this stuff too! What is it about?" The hybrid's eyes lit up as he sat down near his friends. Thanks to Pearl's English classes, he knew the manga's name was Fullmetal Alchemist.

"Well, Connie got me into it." The girl averted her gaze a little in response. "The story's about two brothers who made a horrible mistake, and they're looking for this gem named a Philosopher's Stone to get their bodies back."

"Sounds interesting! I guess there's lots of magic, too?"

"Well, they call it alchemy, but it's pretty weird. They clap their hands, put them on the ground and suddenly there's a giant rock pillar somewhere. Oh, and there's a guy who creates fireballs by snapping his fingers." The fryboy answered. Connie shot him a brief glare, as if to remind him that alchemy was actually an exact science that harnessed tectonic movements, but said nothing.

"Haha, that's really cool. Have you guys just begun reading it, or...?"

"Sorry dude, we've been at it for a while now."

"Awww..." Steven cartoonishly deflated.

"So," Connie stepped in to change the subject. "how did the visit to the doctor go? Did Mom ask you lots of questions?"

"Well, it was really weird, but I guess that was bound to happen." The hybrid replied. "I just wish Pearl didn't threaten her into giving us my x-ray."

"Excuse me?!" Connie exclaimed while Peedee's eyes widened.

"I know, I know! I begged her not to act like that, but she didn't listen! Even Dad got scared!" Visible amounts of ice began to form near where Steven was sitting, but they quickly dissipated after he caught his breath. "I get she's scared that people will kidnap and cut me open in some super secret hideout, but that was too much. I swear I'll try to talk her into apologizing later, that's a promise."

"... Okay. Did she at least like to see your dad in person?"

"Oh, she did, even though she tried to hide it, probably to look professional or something." All three children chuckled. "Then they told her I never went to the doctor before, and she almost exploded before they explained, well, you know." Steven clutched the are where his heart would be located were it not for his gem. "But enough about me. What did you guys do in these last few days, did you finally have dinner together?" He asked with a teasing smile, his friends blushing in response.

Neither of them were really ready to talk about that just yet.

"Come on..." The hybrid continued, still smiling, while the other two children looked away awkwardly.

"Aw, please..." Steven deployed his puppy eyes, making his friends groan in fake frustration.

Peedee raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright." He began. "We had, yesterday. And there were no monsters, thank goodness." Peedee replied, after which the hybrid, happy for them, gave both him and Connie a big hug.

"By the way, thanks a lot for helping me out with Mom and Dad." The girl said after the hug ended. "I don't know if I would've talked to them the way I did without your power."

"Wait." Steven said immediately with a startled voice. "My power?"

"Um, yeah? The one about emotions?"

"I - I didn't!" The hybrid exclaimed and shivered at the possibility that he might've been manipulating his friend like a puppet, and ice began to form once again. Was this why Priyanka almost fell asleep when she inspected his gem? Was this something he did unconsciously, or was it deliberate and he didn't want to admit? "I'm so sorry, I -"

"Hey, hang on!" Peedee grabbed him by the shoulders before he could continue to dwell on these thoughts, snapping him out of it. "Come on now, deep breaths. It's alright." He said calmly, and soon enough the ice faded.

"Sorry about that, it's just that I thought I had everything under control now." Steven sighed.

"Come on, remember that your mom was like a space goddess, right?" Connie said, adding an euphemism just for good measure. "It's not like you'll learn everything in a day, and even so, you helped me. You did a good thing, and nobody was hurt."

"I... thank you." The hybrid replied.

"Hey, speaking of space, do you know where the other gems are, Steven?" Peedee asked. "You're the first one I'm seeing in the last couple days."

"Rose took us on a big sweep to make sure Beach City's safe while they go on a mission." The hybrid smiled before correcting himself. "While **we** go on a mission. I can't wait!" He bounced from excitement.

"How long will you be away?" Connie asked. "We'll miss you."

"No idea, it could be days or maybe even weeks. Dad bought lots of supplies, which Pearl will probably put inside her gem." Steven answered. "And... I'll miss you too." He teared up a little. Another three way hug was necessary, a request which was promptly fulfilled.

"So, Peedee," The hybrid began, "how about you?"

"Since today's been a super slow day, Dad let me go while Ronaldo covered for me." The fryboy swore he could see a little smirk on his friend's face, one he wanted to hide. "I'm really worried about him. He's been going on about how an 'evil spirit' attacked him ever since before me and Dad went to the Crab Shack the night that monster showed up. He's cooling down a bit now, I think, but still." The hybrid's hidden smirk turned into a worried expression, but his eyes couldn't hide just how horrified he truly was. Yep, he definitely had something to do with it, and they were going to have a good talk later.

Steven couldn't believe that what he did could have such consequences. How could he have known that Ronaldo would've reacted in such a manner to a harmless prank? To make matters worse, now Peedee was undoubtedly more stressed and concerned at home (even if he was having a good time right now), and it was all because of something **he** did. The hybrid wanted to admit what he did and apologize, but this wasn't like unconsciously (right?) using his pathokinesis on Connie, or when he snapped at Peedee when they first met. This was a deliberate, malicious act. He had consciously done a bad thing.

And yet, Steven still felt really good about doing it, so he didn't say anything. Was his prank really that bad, considering that Ronaldo is working right now instead of indulging in his useless delusions? And the fryboy **did** say he was cooling down, give him a few days and he'd forget about this whole thing entirely. Right? Right.

Meanwhile, while the children were busy talking, a new actor appeared into the scene, one they were so used to see just standing around doing nothing or appearing out of a random portal that they didn't even pay attention to his presence: Lion. This time, however, he wasn't just going to lie down on the ground and watch the trio from afar, unnoticed. No, this time he was finally going to make a decisive move.

He slowly crept closer to them, lying down or looking away into the ocean every now and then so as to not look suspicious. By the time the trio noticed something was up, it was too late. Before they could get up or even scream, the giant pink cat roared, created a portal and rammed the children straight into it, teleporting them and himself to a very distant destination.

\------------------

Minutes later...

"Uuuuuugh..." Steven groaned as he slowly came back to his senses. A soft breeze blew across his face, and he felt the combined weight of his friends on his back. "Um, guys?" He moved a little, stirring them awake.

"Huh?" They groggily replied at the same time, quickly getting up with a yelp after realizing that they were practically snuggling with each other.

"Where are we?" Peedee said he got up.

"Hm, it's a very pretty place at least." Connie remarked as she saw the mountain forest the group was stuck in, which was full of beautiful red-pink flowers everywhere and the chirping of local birds filled the air. Had she not just been abducted by a magical lion, she might've just sat and enjoyed the scenery.

"Wait a second." Steven said as he also looked around. "I know these plants, we're in Korea!" He exclaimed.

"Hang on, what?" The fryboy said, surprised. "You sure?" He was on the other side of the planet right now. **Wow.**

"Yeah, Pearl took me through a place like this when she first brought me to Beach City." The hybrid explained. "Hopefully there's a warp pad around here..."

Before the trio started to search for a way out of this place, they heard a deep, distant roar echo from further up the mountain.

"Lion." Steven said, serious. "We might as well see why he brought us here." The other children nodded and followed him. They kept walking for several minutes, all the while hearing Lion's repeated roars echo throughout the forest, signaling to them where they should go, until a wire fence stopped them in their tracks.

"This feels familiar..." Peedee remarked.

"Eh?" Steven and Connie were curious.

"Until a couple few years ago, the gems back home had a fence to keep us from getting close to the temple." The fryboy explained as he approached the barrier. "It even had a 'Please' sign right below the 'Keep Out' one. It didn't have barbed wire at the top, though..."

Steven paused for a few seconds with an expression that showed his growing unease. What in the world could possibly be on the other side of this fence? If the gems were the ones who built it, they definitely didn't want outsiders like his human friends to cross it. However, they were inseparable at this point: if Steven knew about something, he would inevitably spill the beans to Connie and Peedee. Yep.

"So, what do we do? Look for another way in? Dig under the fence?" Connie suggested.

"I don't know..." The hybrid replied, conflicted. "If the gems were the ones who built this, maybe we should ask them about it?"

"Aw," The girl's curiosity took the better of her. "but we're so close!"

"Peedee..." Steven hoped the fryboy, now thoughtful, would support his position, but he was a kid too.

And Lion roared once more.

"Well, **someone** obviously wants us to go further, so why not?" Peedee said. "Plus, you said Lion's kinda like Rose's pet, right? If anything she'll get mad at him, not you."

"... Okay." The hybrid conceded after a few seconds, then walked up to the fence, grasping the mesh with both hands. "Please stand back." He asked, and as soon as the humans acted accordingly he took a deep breath and concentrated. Suddenly, the temperature plummeted, and it became so cold that not only did Connie and Peedee start shivering, but they could see the steam their breaths produced.

"Alright..." Steven said calmly and with a slight hint of anger as the wire froze up, ice spreading with each passing second. "Here..." Not yet. "We..." Almost there... now! "GO!" He roared and pulled the fence with all his might, and the entire barrier, already brittle from being frozen up, shattered like glass from top to bottom. His deed done, he slowly breathed out and the temperature returned to normal.

"Whoa..." The two human children said in amazement and, frankly, a little bit of fear. Sure, they saw him fall through the ceiling of a restaurant and get up like it was no big deal, so this was nothing for him, but still. It didn't look like there was ever a fence blocking their path!

The trio then continued their hike until they saw Lion just lying down in a clearing close to the mountain's summit, the still dense forest hiding whatever surprise the pink cat could have in store for them.

"You!" Steven raced after the feline. "You better have a - a..."

Recommended music: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra9tylUDDOk>

He froze when when he saw just what was right behind Lion.

His mother's palanquin, or, as he preferred to call it, the beautiful cage that plagued his nightmares.

"Wh - what?!" He stuttered, horrified, and almost collapsed before his friends caught him. However, he was so engulfed in panic that he didn't even notice their presence as multiple images from those awful, intoxicating dreams flashed before his eyes.

 **"Why does he want me here?!"** Steven shouted as he unknowingly pushed the two humans away and started to stumble backward, his body begging him to run while his eyes just couldn't stop looking at the palanquin. The once clear sky was suddenly covered by storm clouds, and snow began to fall at an alarming rate while ice spread throgh the ground.

"STEVEN!" Connie yelled to her crying friend to no avail. If she and Peedee didn't do something soon, the entire mountain would be transformed into an ice cube!

With a loud cry, the fryboy ran straight into the hybrid's direction, trying to tackle him, hoping that such a drastic action would make him snap out of it. However, before he could even come close, his feet were firmly rooted into the ground by the ice, and though he tried to move with all his strength, all he could do was watch the ice climb up his legs, cutting into his unprotected skin in the process.

Connie's mind raced as she ran away and frantically looked for the largest, heaviest object she could throw. As the girl got her hands dirty in her desperate search for something, **anything** , she lambasted herself for egging her hesitant friend on and thus directly causing this horrible hurricane of snow and ice. However, as she found a rock that was hopefully big enough to at least get Steven's attention, her inner reprimands suddenly went away as she grabbed the stone with both hands. She could think about all this later, after she saved her friends.

Connie ran back into the scene and threw the rock at Steven, hoping he wouldn't get too hurt after everything was over. As if everything was in slow motion, she watched the object fly until it hit the back of the hybrid's head. He staggered forward a bit, and everything stopped: the ice, the snow, the wind all came to a halt. With that, he slowly turned around.

The girl's eyes lit up as she prepared to fire an almost literal machine gun of apologies. A lump appeared on he throat as soon as she had a clear view of her friend's face.

That wasn't Steven. No way.

The Steven she knew would never give off an aura so dangerous it made Connie's muscles beg her to run and simultaneously cause a chill that paralyzed them.

He didn't have such a blank, emotionless gaze.

And, above all else, he didn't have glowing blue eyes that shined like a pair of stars and had diamond-shaped pupils that stared straight into her soul.

It was like someone possessed him! Just who was this person?

"RUN!" Peedee yelled at the top of his lungs as the still similar but unrecognizable Diamond slowly approached Connie. It was so cold he had grown numb to the feeling of the ice tendrils slowly crawling up his thighs. "JUST RUN!"

"I'm not leaving you!" The girl shouted back before the ice caught her feet. Now she no longer had a choice. All the two children could do now was wait for whatever 'Steven' had in store for them. As he stood before her and stared straight into her eyes, Connie noticed very small amounts of what looked like smoke or steam slowly escaping his own. Was he still crying?

The hybrid slowly extended his hand as if to touch her face. It was so cold that just being this close to him make Connie's skin burn, and she couldn't imagine what would happen the moment they made contact.

It was then that Lion, who had fled into the forest to escape the worst of the weather, burst into the scene, pounced straight where Steven was and let out a roar so loud and powerful that the hybrid was sent flying back a few meters by the resulting shockwave, the impact combined with the sudden noise invading his ears knocking him unconscious. With that, the snowstorm finally went away and the ice melted.

Peedee immediately collapsed on the ground, his now bloody legs still numb and unresponsive.

"Peedee!" Connie raced to where her fellow human was, then crouched down to help him get up.

"Thanks." The fryboy said, his previous desperation replaced by an overwhelming exhaustion. "It's all numb now, but I think I'll be fine. I don't think there's anything broken."

"Needless to say, I disagree. Hard." The still somewhat exasperated girl replied.

"Hey, it's not anything Rose can't fix." He forced a smile before he and his friend looked at the hybrid, who was out cold on the ground. Lion sat near him and shot a brief but somehow emotional glance at the two humans, almost as if he was sorry for bringing them here. The cat then got up and walked toward the pair until he was right in front of them, a serious look on his face.

After a staredown that lasted a few seconds, Connie opened her mouth. "Steven said you're Rose's pet or something, right?" She pointed to her friend's injuries. "We need her **right now** , please!" She begged.

Lion growled and his eyes began to glow. After looking back at the children one last time, he roared, created a portal and leaped into it, disappearing.

"Argh!" Peedee yelped in pain and clenched his teeth as the numbness in his legs went away, Connie putting him down and resting his head on her lap so as to not strain him too much. "That damned cat better be back soon..." The girl's eyes briefly widened at her friend's use of such foul language, and he immediately apologized. "Sorry, stuff's still blurry for me. Speaking of blurry, what in the world just happened?"

"You don't know?" She asked back, remembering how he snapped Steven out of a panic attack right before they came here.

"No idea." Peedee began. "He's had stuff like this before, even when we met and he froze the ground a little after he snapped at me, but things never got **this** bad." He caught his breath. "It was like someone possessed him, I thought - I... thought..." The fryboy held back a sob as he remembered just how terrified he was when it looked like Steven was about to kill Connie. Heck, If looks could do that they'd be already dead. "Just... why?"

"Well..." The girl said as the pair looked at the palanquin, its long curtains serenely fluttering in the wind. "That's definitely the fancy cage Steven told us about, the one from his dreams. It's got holes in the walls, curtains and a ridiculously large throne in the middle, so that has to be it." The structure was beautiful and haunting at the same time.

"That wasn't really what I was talking about." Peedee replied, feeling anger bubble within his heart as his eyes settled on the huge, empty throne. "He's just a kid, younger than the both of us. Why did he have to get dragged into this?!" He felt tears threatening to escape. "He's supposed to be playing videogames, reading comics, doing homework, whatever. He's not supposed to be fighting monsters and having nightmares about being some evil dictator! It's not fair!" The fryboy choked back another sob as he looked at the unconscious hybrid. "It's just not fair..." He sighed.

"By the way," the fryboy began, "could you check up on him? It's not like I'll go anywhere." He forced a smile.

Connie frowned. "Will you **please** stop?" She gave the top of his head a very light slap, mostly just to add to her message.

"Sorry."

"I'll be right back." The girl said before she gently placed her friend's head on the ground, then got up. After that, she walked to where the hybrid was, but not without a growing sense of anxiety, before emitting a loud sigh of relief after seeing that the hybrid was sleeping peacefully, the almost murderous aura coming out of him completely gone. She was looking at Steven, not some villain wearing his skin, which was warm to the touch rather than cold to the point of almost burning her face by simply standing close. She put her hand on the back of his head and smiled after noticing that her fingers were dry and free of blood, which meant that the rock she threw didn't really hurt him at all.

Connie walked back to where Peedee was and, after putting his arm over her shoulder to support him, slowly walked to where Steven was.

"I take it that means he's fine?" The fryboy asked.

"Yeah, let's keep him company until he wakes up or Lion comes back with Rose." As soon as she said those words, a bright portal appeared and Lion immediately jumped out of it, carrying Rose on his back.

"Hm? What did you get up to this time?" The rebel leader asked her steed, seeing the palanquin but not the children since they were behind her.

"Rose!" Connie and Peedee called at the same time, the woman turning around to face them.

"Hello - Oh my Stars, Peedee!" Her greeting was interrupted after she saw the fryboy's wounded legs, immediately dismounting and running straight to where he and Connie were. "What happened?!" She asked, her shock only growing when she saw Steven lying unconscious on the ground. "Did something attack you?!"

"Please heal me!" Peedee shouted, after which the giant woman replied with a "Right!", picked him up by the sides, cradled him on her arms and wept, her magical tears immediately undoing the damage his legs had suffered. The deed done, she gently placed him on the ground and went right back to questioning.

"So, what happened?" Her voice was calmer but still carried a sense of urgency.

"Long story short, we were in Beach City when Lion straight up pushed us here by creating a portal." Peedee began. "We walked up this mountain, then Steven had a huge panic attack after he saw **that**." He pointed to the palanquin. "He then caused this huge snowstorm and almost froze us before Lion knocked him out with a roar." Intentionally or not, the fryboy hid the 'possession' his friend suffered from the rebel leader.

"Damn it." Rose's hands balled into fists. "Me and Bloop planned to bring him here later today, right before our mission started."

"Wait, 'Bloop'?" Connie asked.

"A nickname Amethyst came up with for his pearl since we have our own, the one he calls 'Teacher'." The pink woman replied before sighing, softening her features, walking to the uncounscious hybrid and cradling him in her huge arms as if he were a baby. He smiled as he felt Rose's warmth envelop him and shifted into a more comfortable position, also making her smile in the process. "That's right." She cooed. "Everything's fine, no one's going to hurt you. So..." She turned to the two humans. "I take it this is more than enough of a magical adventure to you, right? Do you want to leave?"

"Actually..." Connie hesitated a little, earning a surprised glance from Peedee. "Could we look around for a while? It's not like we'll ever come back here."

"Hopefully." The fryboy added.

"Very well." Rose replied. "Lion rarely acts like this unless there is something urgent, so it might in fact be better for you to stay here and help me comfort Steven when he wakes up." With that, the three walked toward the palanquin and got inside, the children gasping at how cartoonishly gigantic everything was. All this place was missing was a table full of yummy magical cookies that made them grow.

"So, what's all this for?" Peedee asked. "Just to show off?"

"Pretty much." The woman answered. "The Diamonds use palanquins like this to travel when they don't feel like walking. However, there's also a second reason." The humans stopped to listen better. "Though this vehicle seems delicate, it is almost indestructible. Even Alexandrite wouldn't be able to do so much as scratch it."

"So it's a palace **and** a tank. Does it have any guns or similar stuff?" The fryboy asked as they started walking around said throne.

"Thankfully, no." Rose replied, visibly relieved.

Connie then noticed several cardboard boxes of various sizes neatly organized in the general area behind the throne. "Do you know what's in those, ma'am?"

"Those are some of the Universe family's personal belongings. I didn't look at what was inside those boxes, though Garnet and Amethyst did. I suggest waiting until Steven here wakes up and ask if he would let us see them."

The group turned around and started to walk toward the exit of the palanquin, but just as they were about to climb down its stairs Steven started to stir awake.

"Mmmm..." He stretched and yawned, not opening his eyes just yet.

"Steven?" Rose said with a smile.

"Five more minutes..." He turned and started to run his left hand in the general area near his head, as if trying to look for something exclusively through touch. "Ugh, did my pillow fall off the bed again?" He groggily opened his eyes, expecting to see the roof of his apartment's bedroom, only to see Rose's warm, welcoming face. "Hello~" She said.

This sight was more than enough for him to spring fully awake in a milisecond. "R-Rose, I mean ma'am! What happened?"

"Relax dear, it's okay." Rose giggled. But there was something off about it.

"Connie and Peedee, are they okay?" The hybrid asked.

"Well, why not see that for yourself?" She put him on the ground.

"Guys!" He shouted and practically leaped at his friends, hugging them very tightly. "I was so worried!" He continued with tears in his eyes. "I had this horrible dream where I..." Steven looked at his surroundings, eyes widening and horror creeping into his voice. "Where... I..."

"It's okay!" Suddenly, the humans hugged him back with all their might, while Rose practically engulfed the organic trio with her huge arms and lifted them off the ground.

"Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow- **ow!** " The hybrid protested as he found himself being crushed by the combined power of the triple hug. "Alright, alright, please put me down!" He squirmed before the giant woman acted accordingly. "Can someone please explain all this?" He asked after catching his breath.

"Sorry dude, it's just that you had this giant panic attack when you first saw this thing." Peedee answered.

Steven shrank, almost literally. "... How bad was it?"

"Well, there was this huge snowstorm, and ice started to spread everywhere. Before me and Connie could run away and not get caught by it, you suddenly just collapsed on the ground like someone pressed your off button or something." Peedee felt bad for lying to his friend like this, but considering his phobia of the mere possibility of hurting others, telling him the truth would likely just make things worse in the short term. He would tell the whole story later. "Then Lion teleported away and showed up with Rose a while later." He finished. Rose and Connie were amazed at how the fryboy could come up with such a convincing lie so quickly, but nevertheless quickly got in on it.

Steven didn't - he remembered his dreams very clearly, he'd never forget something he did while awake - but hid that. "Thank goodness..." He sighed in fake relief.

The group heard Lion roar, and they saw him lying down next to the giant blue throne in the center of the palanquin, looking straight at the hybrid. Having successfully gotten their attention, the cat leaped onto the seat and roared once more, as if urging them to follow him.

"C- can we leave? Please?" Steven looked at Rose, his eyes full of fear, before Lion roared again. **"Just what do you want?!"** He stepped forward, but surprisingly he wasn't worked up enough for ice to appear this time.

"Come on Steven, let's leave." Rose approached the boy and offered her hand, but he didn't turn around.

"Steven?" She asked again, to no avail. This was way, way too familiar a situation for the two humans not to start getting nervous.

"Steven, please." The hybrid did react this time: by taking a single forward, toward the throne, something that made Rose gasp.

"I... don't want to." He said, still not turning around.

"To what?" The pink-haired woman asked.

"To leave. But..."

"Hm?"

"I know I have to. Lion brought me here, I want to learn more, I can almost hear that throne calling for me!" He clenched his hands and looked at the floor, ice finally beginning to appear under his feet. "If I just get out of here, I'll come back eventually, I just know it. But if I get up there, I'll never leave! I'll be all alone again, just in a different way! I don't know what to do!"

Rose immediately took one of the hybrid's hands, making him gasp in surprise. "Look," she began, "I'm not sure of what to do either, but I have an idea." She then looked straight into his unsure, watery brown eyes. "How about we **both** go up there and get down later, together?"

"I..." Steven looked away and wiped his left eye after a tear fell out. "I don't want to leave you."

"You won't!" Rose squeezed his hand tighter. "You're afraid, and that's okay. And you know what? It's okay to be ambitious, too!" She kneeled. "Wanting to be powerful isn't bad, it's what you want to do after you get that power that matters. Remind me, why did you start training with us again? Was it just to stab us in the back in the end?"

"No!" The hybrid shouted. "Well, unless you tried to hurt Pearl and Dad." The leader grinned in response, something that made the boy blush and avert his gaze.

"See? That's it." She began. "You, Steven Universe, have something that's infinitely stronger than any blind lust for power that may lurk within you: love. An unbreakable, unconditional love you feel for your family and all those close to you. The kind of love that drives you forward, no matter how dire the situation may be." She hugged him with her loving arms, after which she started to feel tears running down her shoulder. "Don't ever forget that."

After several seconds, the hug ended.

"So, what do you say?" Rose asked with a voice sweet enough to make teeth rot.

"... Yeah, let's go." Steven answered with a weak smile.

The pink-haired woman then looked at Connie and Peedee, who were on the verge of bawling their eyes out. "How about you two? Want to come along?"

"*sniff* Yes..." The girl replied.

"Pleeeease..." And so did the fryboy.

"Alright!" Rose then grabbed the three children at the same time, leaped several meters in the air and gently landed on the throne. It was a completely different point of view, one which made the humans gasp.

"Huh, I guess this really is Wonderland." Peedee remarked.

 _You've got a lot of growing left to do, huh?_ Priyanka's words echoed in Steven's mind as he hopped onto the throne's left arm, somehow instinctively knowing what to do.

"So, what now?" Rose asked him as he walked toward the buttons located where a fully grown Diamond's hand would sit.

"I have no idea. Here goes!" The hybrid replied as he pressed a button with both hands, making it glow very brightly The following moment, a huge glowing blue screen covered in strange glyphs appeared before him.

"Welcome back, My Diamond." A feminine and robotic voice came from the screen. "It has been exactly ten Earth years and nine months since you last accessed this system. Shall I give you a status report of this vehicle's current conditions?"

Steven hesitated a little, obviously not liking being called 'My Diamond', before speaking up. "Do it."

"Affirmative." The voice replied while the screen even showed more glyphs and a loading bar on the bottom which gradually filled up.

"Hey, you getting any of that?" Peedee asked from the seat, the hybrid simply giving him a look that screamed 'I have absolutely **no idea** of what I'm doing' and slowly shaking his head.

"How about you, Rose? Can you still read it, or not anymore?" Connie asked.

"Honestly, the glyphs changed less than I feared in the last five thousand years. All I and the others needed was a brief class from Bloop to since we basically knew it already." The leader replied. "The computer's running a maintenance scan, nothing more." She answered a potential question before either human asked, privately wondering why said computer didn't behave like this when Pearl used it. Well, this kind of technology was supposed to be almost exclusively used by a very specific cut of gem after all.

After a few minutes, the loading bar was completed, and the screen's glyphs changed once again. "Status check completed, My Diamond, all systems are fully operational and ready to act at your command. Nothing else worthy of note." The computer said.

"Nothing? Hm..." Steven put a hand on his chin and thought for a few seconds. "Are there any recorded messages in this palanquin, preferably ones in video?"

"Of course, My Diamond." The computer replied. "The latest recorded video message in this databank was created when you last accessed the system, exactly ten Earth years and nine months ago. Do wish for me to play it?"

"Do it." Steven commanded, and the computer acted accordingly. In a matter of minutes, everyone's eyes were almost jumping out of their sockets, while their mouths were wide open. What had they just seen?!

"All of you, stay where you are. I'll get the others." Rose said with a serious, commanding voice. **"That is an order."** She climbed on Lion and teleported away.

Steven collapsed on his knees. Nothing could've prepared him for this.

\-----------------

Ten years and nine months ago...

"Steven, my son. I put off and delayed recording this message more times than I could count, but you need to hear what I have to say." Blue Diamond, perfectly seated on her throne, spoke to the recorder, her pained voice and expression laid bare.

"I wanted you to live a normal, happy life. I wanted you to go to school, have friends, and have the privilege and honor of being raised by Pearl and Greg. You would be kind, forgiving, wise, strong, everything that I, despite my precious few years living with your father, am not. I never was." The giantess looked down and took a deep breath before continuing. "But as the hour of my death draws nearer, I am increasingly faced by the reality that I can't afford to be naive and keep wasting time, not when I have done exactly that for my entire existence."

"I can't predict what Greg and Pearl will tell you about me, but I do know, with absolute certainty, that they will not tell you the whole truth. They, for whatever reason, love me too much for that, even though I have done absolutely **nothing** to deserve any of it." A pause. "I beg of you, my son, to not be fooled by my pathetic and meek appearance. The woman sitting on this throne, telling you these words, is a dictator and a mass murderer. Billions of people, gem and organic, died by my hand, and those were the lucky ones."

"I sat at the very top of a system where every gem had an assigned role she was supposed to fulfill for all eternity. Were I to translate it to human terms, I would probably describe it as a caste society, with all its implications. Every single law, no matter how unreasonable it may be, must be followed to the tee, and if you don't do it, you're shattered. Killed." Another pause, likely to regain composure. "As one of the leaders of Homeworld and its empire, one of my roles was enforcing these rules, a job I did without mercy. For example, say someone left her post for a small amount of time, or had a relationship with a gem of a different cut, or was simply born different from what she was supposed to look like. It didn't matter, I killed them all without a second thought. For all my... supposed power and wisdom, I never, ever questioned this, I never asked myself if maybe, just **maybe** , I was the one in the wrong! I never did!" Her roar shook the screen for a moment.

"No wonder my little Pink was so difficult to deal with, so rebellious. I thought she was just acting like a brat, a child who needed a strong hand guiding her, but, the truth is, she was certainly wiser than all of us combined." Blue's voice grew noticeably heavier. "I convinced myself that I loved her, even as I laughed at every single suggestion or proposal she presented to me, as I... I hurt her. Emotionally and physically." She bit her lip with so much force that, were she an organic, she would've likely bled. "I was the one pushed her over the edge. I was the one who told her to just smile and wave as the Rebellion was about to become an all out war, despite her constant warnings to me and Yellow. It was because of our, **my** neglect, that she, she... was..." The giant woman choked back a sob.

She then spent several seconds in silence, trying with all her might not to burst into tears. The pause grew longer and longer, until...

"ENOUGH!" The dictator shouted to herself at the top of her nonexistent lungs and got up, static distorting the screen as the recorder shook with this outburst. "THIS IS NOT ABOUT YOU! STOP WASTING TIME!" She yelled, grabbing her own head with both hands as tears started to come out. "Just for once, stop mourning about what already happened and focus on what you can change, will you?!" With that, she finally sat down and regained some composure.

"Steven, my son, my beloved, you will inherit an enormous burden from me, and I am afraid you won't be given a choice. I... I try to think of that only in the moments when I'm strong, when I can remind myself of just how much you deserve to live and experience this wonderful planet. You deserve to live and be happy, infinitely more than I do." One moment. "If you start to resent and hate me for all the horrific things I did, for the weight you'll need to carry as a Diamond, please, do not feel bad about it, it's what I deserve. I took active steps to lessen this burden in the last few months, but I am fully aware that the little I did is nowhere near enough." She hung her head low, voice full of shame. "This is all I could leave you. I'm sorry."

Several seconds passed before Blue Diamond faced the recorder once again, this time with a serious expression and posture. "There are many things that you will need to learn in order for you to succeed in your journey. Each gem cut, its purpose, how it functions, Homeworld politics, the war, colonization, corruption, the Cluster. Since this video is already becoming a bit long, however, I have written entries on each specific subject that are stored within the databanks of the palanquin, and all you need to do is ask the computer about one of these things. I have also come up with a method that should make learning the gem alphabet much easier for you, by associating glyphs with certain letters of the English and Korean alphabets."

"Finally, I have one last and very urgent thing to say." The giantess looked vigorous and even a bit commanding at face value, but her voice carried a sense of urgency. "There is a group of rebels, the Crystal Gems, who somehow managed to survive the worst of the war. After carefully watching them from afar, hiding my presence, I can tell their group composed of four members." A hologram appeared in front of her left hand, showing the 3-d image of none other than Rose Quartz. "This is their leader, Rose Quartz." the hologram shifted, displaying her subordinates one by one. "And these are Garnet; Amethyst; and a pearl who likely has the same name as our own, so I suggest coming up with a nickname or something similar to avoid confusion. These four will help you save the Earth and carry your burden."

"They reside in a place called Beach City, a small human settlement located on a peninsula that has a huge temple at its very tip, which serves as their base. I recommend you try to first try to meet and talk with either Rose or Amethyst, since from my observations they seem to be the ones most approachable to humans." A brief pause and a sigh. She couldn't believe what she was saying. "I also advise you to either keep your distance or, failing that, be as courteous as possible to Garnet, since her initial reaction to you will almost certainly be hostile. She and I have... a history, to put it very mildly. Finally, I can't tell how the pearl will react since I barely managed to see her, and when I did I always saw her with Rose, but since she's almost certainly a hardened veteran from the war, she'll likely distrust you as well."

"Greg told me he once visited Beach City in his first concert, so it shouldn't be too difficult to convince him and Pearl to take you there under the disguise of a trip or something similar. Unless they're seeing this message with you, in which case... well." She shrugged before finishing. "In any case, please be honest and polite to them, especially since you all have a very important reason to work together, one which Pearl and your father are fully aware of and will likely explain later if you ask them about it. And remember, if you start to hate me for all the wounds and pain I caused, don't feel bad about it."

"Farewell, Steven." Blue Diamond smiled in a way identical to how she did in the first videotape of the hybrid found despite her completely different size, outfit and demeanor. "I love you very much, and, despite everything I just said, I can't help but entertain the hope that someday, when this is all over, you can feel the same way about me."

The recording ended.

\-----------------

Back in the present...

The members of the audience who hadn't seen the message before - Greg, Pearl, Lapis, Garnet, Amethyst and (other) Pearl - were completely speechless. They had already seen the tape where Blue Diamond subtly exhorted the Earth's freedom and virtues, but they never expected the deceased dictator to denounce her record and everything she stood for so thoroughly and, after that, ask her future son to join forces with the rebels she despised for so long - and lie to his parents about it if necessary. Garnet in particular was mortified that she was unable to sense such a powerful potential enemy when she was so close.

"So, um..." Amethyst nervously scratched the back of her head, trying to break the silence. "I... guess that finally settles the debate of whether she'd be a CG or not, right?"

"Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable." (other) Pearl said. "This... this is why I hate sleeping so much. These dreams don't make any sense."

"I... agreed." Lapis wanted to correct her, but frankly wasn't sure if she wasn't dreaming either.

"Needless to say, this changes everything." Rose declared. "Judging by her words, there's a strong chance that she left clues for us to find, clues that can help us build the drill and stop the Cluster."

"What is that, ma'am?" Steven asked, still shocked from seeing the message the first time.

"We'll explain later." She replied.

"Wow, sure would've been nice if she told us about this." None of the gems, including Steven, had ever seen Greg that obviously angry before.

But there was someone who was infinitely angrier, even though said person remained completely silent: Pearl. After standing completely still, her eyes hidden by her blue bangs, for several seconds while the others were busy processing everything, the former slave turned around and exited the palanquin without making a sound.

"Pearl!" Steven ran after her, not wanting his mother figure to cry all alone somewhere.

"Kid, no!" Greg stopped him, pushing his own anger aside for a moment. "Believe me, that's a terrible idea." He put a hand on his son's shoulder.

"But-"

"He's right." Garnet put a hand on the hybrid's other shoulder. "It would've ended very badly."

"Alright everyone," Rose began after Pearl disappeared from everyone's sight, "I'll get Connie and Peedee here back to Beach City. After that, we'll discuss our mission, and, in case Steven's ready, leave as soon as possible."

"Right." The other gems replied.

"Hey, dude," Peedee began as he approached Steven and gave him a hug, "take care of yourself, okay?"

"We'll miss you." Connie added as she hugged the hybrid as well. "A lot."

"I'll miss you too." He returned the favor. "I love you guys."

After the hug ended, the two human children climbed on Lion, and Rose did the same. With that, they all disappeared.

Several minutes of heavy silence passed before Garnet suddenly gasped, startling everyone in the palanquin. "Lapis!" She shouted before sprinting to the aristocrat. "Your Pearl, you need to go after her **now!** "

"Wha-" Before she could respond, the fusion kissed her forehead, making her recoil and squirm away. "What in the Stars' name do you think you're-!!!" Her irritated expression was suddenly replaced by a terrified one, and she gasped as well. Garnet just had a **very** bad vision, and by kissing Lapis' forehead she allowed her to see it as well.

Without saying another word, the former prisoner summoned her wings and bolted into the air so quickly the gust of wind she created knocked everyone over, except for Garnet since she already saw it coming.

The four people left in the palanquin, Steven, Greg, Garnet and Amethyst, looked around and at each other awkwardly for many seconds before the musician finally spoke up. "Since we don't have anything to do, how about I show you guys some old family stuff?"

The others, desperate for any distraction, readily agreed.

\-----------------

Minutes later, in the Strawberry Battlefield...

As she warped in, Lapis silently prayed that Garnet's warning had not come too late. Summoning her water wings once again, she took off in a straight direction toward the many floating islands that existed on the edge of the main landmass. It didn't take long for the aristocrat to find her target sitting on the very edge of such an island, her legs dangling perilously close to her doom.

"Pearl!" Lapis called after she landed nearby, keeping her distance and mentally thanking the Stars for arriving in time.

Pearl refused to turn around and said something Lapis wasn't able to pick up.

"What?" The aristocrat asked.

"I said" Pearl repeated, her usually soft voice now hoarse, "leave!"

"I can't!" Lapis replied and took a step closer, realizing her liberator was shivering. "Not unless you go somewhere else!"

"Go away!" The former slave, very clearly not in the proper state of mind, still refused to face her fellow blue gem. "Before I make you!"

"I won't!" Lapis took another step forward.

"You don't understand!" Pearl lowered her head and looked at the endless blanket of clouds beneath her. "Just leave me alone..." Her voice cracked.

" **No!** I refuse!" Lapis was now just one meter away from her liberator. "You're right, I don't understand, but that doesn't mean I should just stand aside and let you jump, not when you have so much to live for! If you didn't find me, I'd still be a prisoner in that mirror, and if you didn't pressure me, elbow me whenever I did something wrong, I'd continue be a bitter clod! Hell, I could've returned to Homeworld and helped Peridot and whoever comes along with her destroy this beautiful planet!" The former slave lifted her head, a sign of hope. "Please, **please** let me help you. Steven doesn't deserve to carry his burden all by himself, and you don't deserve to carry yours on your own either! Please let me in, please let me do this for you!"

After a pause that felt like an eternity, Pearl finally got up, something that made Lapis grin and her eyes shine. But despite this, she still refused to turn around.

"I said..." The former slave whispered in a tone that sent chills down Lapis' spine. _Oh no_ , she thought as her grin faded.

 **"LEAVE ME ALONE!"** Pearl turned around, revealing an unbelievably terrifying expression that screamed rage, pain and anguish, before leaping at Lapis, hellbent on stabbing the aristocrat with one of her gauntlet-swords even as a constant stream of tears ran from her exposed eyes, which had very visible bags beneath them, down her face.

Lapis summoned her wings and jumped away from her fellow gem's attack in the nick of time, but before she could gain enough distance Pearl stored one of her weapons back in her gemstone and then effortlessly jumped several meters up in the air, managing to grab one of her opponent's legs and holding on to it with all her might.

"What the hell?!" The aristocrat winced in pain as she felt her friend's nails dig into her skin. "Let go!" She shook her leg as hard as possible, fully aware that Pearl would almost certainly stab her as soon as she had the chance.

"SHUT UP!" Pearl screamed as she tightened her grip and tried to swing her weapon.

The pain Lapis felt created a rush of anger that sidelined any reservations she had about hurting her liberator. "Damn it, I said LET GO!" The aristocrat screamed back as she lifted her free leg and started kicking Pearl in the face, to no avail. Having run out of patience and become angry enough to do some very real damage, Lapis used her hydrokinesis to create two huge arms with the juice of the countless strawberries below her, commanded them to grab Pearl's legs and then slam the former slave on the ground with enormous force, this sudden attack finally making her let go.

Lapis stayed in the air at a safe distance as she watched Pearl get up, still very much ready to fight.

"I put up with her tears and hypocrisy for five thousand years!" The former slave, covered in red juice, something that only made her look scarier, began, not taking her teary eyes off her flying opponent. "And then she, in her very last message, had the gall to say I loved her, despite everything she did to me! Despite everything she put me through, everything she forced me to watch! HOW COULD I POSSIBLY LOVE SOMEONE LIKE THAT?!"

Pearl's voice carried more pain than rage, and Lapis could feel her own wrath wither away. She was still flying, but now very close to the ground. This was a risk she had to take for the sake of the woman who freed her.

"And you know what's the worst of all? I DID LOVE HER!" She continued, voice not cracking despite all her screaming. "I LOVED HER, BECAUSE I WAS MADE AND PROGRAMMED TO DO SO! I HAD NO OTHER CHOICE!" She then pointed at Lapis with her free hand. "And then you just waltz in here and make a big fancy speech about how you can somehow help me, despite admitting to not understanding anything about how I feel! HOW DARE YOU?!"

Lapis kept her tears at bay as Pearl made another desperate attempt at attacking her, one which was quickly stopped by two juice arms pinning her feet in place. "Stop this, Pearl! I don't want to fight you, and you can't beat me!" The aristocrat declared as her feet touched the ground and her water wings retreated into the teardrop shaped gemstone on her back.

"I! DON'T! CARE!" Pearl grabbed her gauntlet-sword and threw it at Lapis like a javelin. The waterbender dodged, but as she did so the liquid arms under her command weakened, allowing the former slave to break free and charge at her target as she drew a second weapon.

The entire world slowed down as Lapis saw her liberator, weapon in hand, come closer and closer with each passing moment. It was too late for her to fly away, since that would just create a repeat of what happened when the fight began, and she was nowhere near angry enough to seriously hurt her anymore. Besides, Pearl had been through enough. A drastic solution was necessary.

Lapis ran forward, straight into Pearl's attack, and only barely dodged her thrust. Before she could swing her gauntlet-sword again or punch with her free hand, already balled into a fist, Lapis opened her arms and wrapped them around the former slave, resting her head on her shoulder. The aristocrat closed her eyes and braced for something, anything, but no matter what happened she was not going to let go of her embrace.

Pearl froze. She was so blinded by anger, grief and pain that it took her several very silent seconds to process what was happening. In an instant, all of her 'muscles' gave way as her mind went completely blank, and it was only Lapis' strength that kept her from collapsing on the ground like the weapon she dropped, which fell with a metallic clatter. As she very slowly recovered her strength and senses, her arms raised and wrapped themselves around her fellow blue gem.

Lapis tightened her hug and opened her eyes. "I'm here for you." She whispered as she felt Pearl's head rest on her shoulder and her own hug grow tighter. "And I always will be, no matter what happens."

After more moments of silence, Pearl allowed a pent up sob to escape her throat while the tears returned with a newfound intensity.

"It's alright, let it out." Lapis whispered again. "Let it all out. I'm here, I'm here..." She finally allowed herself to cry as well.

The two blue women continued to hug one another as sob after sob echoed throughout the otherwise empty battlefield.

\------------------

Back at the Temple...

Several hours had passed since Pearl left the group and Lapis bolted after her minutes later. The gems, along with Greg, first tried to spend their time by just wandering around or perhaps talking about trivial matters, but as the time passed and the sun began to set in Beach City they all gathered together near the warp pad and nervously waited for the blue gems to show up. None of them talked to each other, and the only reason the cave wasn't completely silent right now was because the retired musician brought his guitar and started to play some tunes while everyone else watched the circular flat crystal almost religiously.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the warp pad lit up, the group excitedly watching as the light died down... and revealed someone they had never seen before.

The blue-skinned stranger, who somehow felt very familiar, was, first and foremost, extremely tall, definitely having at least twice of Rose's height if not more than that. In fact, she was so tall her head almost hit the ceiling. She also had four arms, and her outfit consisted of a blouse revealed her midriff, had short sleeves for the upper arms and two holes on the side for the lower ones. She also wore a long skirt that split at the top of her left thigh, underneath that a pair of pants which ended on her calves, and finally a pair of flat shoes. Her hair was shaggy, with a long fringe that almost covered her eyes and two long sideburns.

"What's wrong?" The giantess began, her voice so different yet so familiar. "Am I so beautiful none of you have any words left?" She smiled before crouching down and looking at Garnet, who seemed unsure of whether she should squeal in happiness, grin or take off her glasses to show her true emotions. "I showed up much sooner than you expected, didn't I?" She then extended one of her four hands and used a single massive finger to gently put her fellow fusion's dropped jaw back in place.

It was then that Steven noticed two very important things about this giant woman. First, she had a long, pointy nose, and second, she had a big round gemstone right in the middle of her collarbone.

"... Pearl? Is that you?" He asked timidly.

"Steven, my baby!" The fusion - whose name, she would reveal later, was Tourmaline, Paraíba Tourmaline - scooped up the boy with two hands, reared up to her full height and nuzzled him against her face. "I missed you so much! And you look so cute like this, I could just squish you right now!"

"Aw, nooo!" Steven giggled and protested playfully as he was literally smothered with affection. "What happened? Did you and Lapis fuse?" He asked after the fusion gave him some time to breathe.

"That's precisely it, dear." She replied lovingly, the stunned looks in the others' faces being replaced by warm smiles. "We - or, um, I, this is still a little... strange - will explain everything later. Now, can we all please get out of here? This is getting a bit claustrophobic."

"Of course. We've been waiting for you in here for hours, we all need some fresh air." Rose answered the request, and soon enough the group started to leave the Temple.

"One thing, dear, can I hold you in my arms like this for the rest of the day?" Tourmaline asked.

"Yeah!" Steven replied before nestling right next to the pearl in the fusion's chest, making her smile.

As everyone started to sit down on the beach, Greg silently thanked himself for buying as many camping supplies as possible for the upcoming mission, because everyone seriously needed a nice campfire story right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had two plans for what I would do with Steven, Connie and Peedee in this chapter. The first idea I came up with would be that they get in the palanquin, explore it a bit, mess around with those boxes and find a very specific picture of Blue Diamond that makes Steven have a very vivid flashback of the time he - unintentionally - went full Maximum Capacity Amethyst on Greg.
> 
> I eventually decided to settle with what's in the chapter right now since not only I think having him remember the dream with Ruby and Sapphire and going seriously nuts would be more powerful, but also because it would give me a chance to write a bit more about Rose, which is always good in my view.
> 
> Why did I name the Bloopis fusion Paraíba Tourmaline, you may ask? Well, first and foremost I'm Brazilian, and although I was born and currently live in Rio de Janeiro, I have many family members who still live in the state of Paraíba.
> 
> EDIT: Since A Wandering Star posted a comment regarding Blue's advice in her message, I'll add this extra tidbit of information in case other readers also feel her attitude was a little strange. 
> 
> Despite what she told Steven to do, she absolutely HATED Rose and the CGs right until her death. It's just that her endless years of self-loathing and the relationship with Greg opened her eyes and made her fall to Earth's charm, forcing her to begrudgingly admit that maybe the Crystal Gems weren't wrong about everything they believed in. Though she herself would never join them under any circumstance, guiding her future son into doing so is something else entirely.


	21. A Glimpse of Hell, Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven meets some of his mother's victims.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I believe the title and the summary speak for themselves, yes? 
> 
> Some of the last scenes were very much inspired by John Carpenter's The Thing, so beware.
> 
> Also, this chapter might look big, but it's actually around 2.5 thousand words shorter than the last one.

\------------------

At the Temple's warp pad, right before the gems were about to leave...

"Tent?" Greg began.

"Check." And Tourmaline replied.

"Sleeping bags?"

"Check."

"Firewood?"

"Check."

"Spare clothes?"

"Um..." Internally, the fusion's components scrambled to see if they had the items in question, sighing in relief after finding them. "Check."

"Food? All of it?"

"Check."

"Um," Steven spoke up, "sorry to interrupt, but didn't we do this like twice now?"

"Seriously, how long are we gonna stay sitting here?" An exasperated Amethyst added. "I mean, get it, it's a super long walk around a lake in the middle of nowhere, but we're just wasting time here."

"What?" The hybrid's eyes widened.

"You didn't hear us discussing it?" Tourmaline asked. "Oh right, you fell asleep in my arms."

"Alright, alright." The musician conceded to the purple gem's point. "Just one last thing. Rose," He turned to the woman in question, "did you give Steven a bottle full of your tears, just in case?"

"Yep, I stored it in my gem." The boy answered for her. "Along with my weapons."

"By the way, Greg," Rose spoke up anyway, "do you have that warp whistle we gave you?"

"Sure thing." He pulled a blue flute from his fanny pack. "Wouldn't be fun to get stuck here and do nothing while you guys are busy saving the world."

Steven got off the pad and hugged his father one last time. "I'll miss you, Dad. Take care, okay?"

"You've got no reason to worry about me, little buddy." He returned the hug and, after that, playfully messed with his son's hair. "I'm not the one who'll fight monsters here. **You** take care, alright?"

"Nobody will touch him." Tourmaline stepped in, her upper hands - Pearl's - cracking their knuckles to emphazise her point. **"Nobody."**

"Bye!" Steven cheefully waved, while the other gems also made their own farewells. Rose and Amethyst waved as well, (other) Pearl bowed, Garnet smiled and gave a thumbs up. With that, the warp pad lit up and they all disappeared.

\------------------

Seconds later...

"Argh!" Steven shielded his eyes as he felt light suddenly invade them with a strength he never felt before. After a minute or so of adjusting them (they still hurt though), he opened them and had a clear look of the vast landscape around him and his fellow gems, who were on top of what looked like a small hill.

It was... completely empty. Just a wide, white, featureless plain that streched for miles and miles, seemingly without end.

"Dear Stars, don't tell me it all just evaporated!" Tourmaline exclaimed in shock. "There was supposed to be a lake here!"

"... That's not snow, is it?" The hybrid asked despite knowing the answer. Just looking at all this salt made him thirsty.

"Y'all sure we didn't just end up somewhere else?" Amethyst asked, looking at Garnet.

"... Nope, this is the place." The square-haired woman replied with a voice that clearly showed her dismay. "And we've got a long walk ahead of us. Best thing I can say is that there aren't corrupted gems in our way."

"How long?" Rose asked.

"Assuming we take as few breaks as possible? A full week at the very least." Everyone groaned.

Except for Steven, that is. "Can't you just fly us there, Tourmaline? You're pretty big, I'm pretty sure you carry each one of us on one arm."

"Oh dear, you really slept through all our discussion, didn't you? Well, it's my fault for cradling you in my arms for so long." The larger fusion sighed. "This place looks empty, but it's actually an aerial minefield. If I try to fly, several automated turrets will rise from the lake bed and shoot me down in a matter of seconds."

"Yikes!" The hybrid winced at the thought. "Where are we going again, some old gem base?"

"Close." Tourmaline replied. "It's an abandoned laboratory specialized on... well..." She couldn't finish the sentence. So this was how Garnet felt whenever she thought about it...

Steven's expression darkened as he saw the fusion's not so subtle distress, and how uncomfortable the others were. "... Mom had something to do with it, didn't she?" He asked, voice mostly serious but with noticeable traces of frustration.

The older gems nodded silently, and with that the whole group got off the warp pad, walked down the hill and began the long, boring trek to their destination.

\------------------

A few days later, back in Beach City...

Summer had finally come to an end, and though Peedee spent most of it missing school since working at Beach Citywalk Fries wasn't what he would call a fun activity, this feeling was dispelled almost immediately after he entered the building and attended his new semester's first class.

Good God, everything was just so **boring**! The fryboy frankly wondered every now and then why Phil insisted that he go back to studying as soon as possible, considering he'd almost certainly take over the Fryman family business once his father retired. Then again, the man didn't get the chance complete his education, and with Ronaldo being, well, Ronaldo, he understood why his father was so adamant about this.

At least today's subject - History - was somewhat interesting. Even so, the fryboy found himself drifting - wondering, for example, if the gems ever met George Washington - until he felt a tiny paper ball hit the side of his face, one just large enough for him to feel its impact.

Peedee looked around with a half-grumpy half-vacant expression, only for his eyes to light up when he found the culprit - Connie - who was subtly waving and gesturing at him to pay attention.

The fryboy acted accordingly - maybe school wasn't so boring after all.

\------------------

Ten excruciatingly long days later...

"FINALLY!" Tourmaline exclaimed after walking up a long slope. Their journey had taken even longer than expected, for the salt pan's unbearable heat and dryness did a number on Steven's organic body and forced them to stop and rest more often than Garnet had anticipated - though her original prediction was quite optimistic, she said later.

"Huh? Is it finally over?" Steven asked as he followed the fusion, grateful that his feet and skin were now touching sand instead of salt.

"I wish. It's just begun..." The four-armed woman replied.

"So, where do we go now?" He asked again, his eyes widening after Tourmaline pointed to a low but visibly active volcano. "Wait, the secret lab's inside a VOLCANO?!" He exclaimed, internally cursing the fact his body was made of flesh and bone rather than hard light. "This sun's bad enough, I'll cook in there!"

"Looks like you'll be the star today, G." Amethyst remarked, since the square-haired fusion could swim through molten rock without difficulty.

"We're standing over a large, hidden underground complex that spraws several miles in all directions. The volcano was a convenient source of geothermal energy to power the machines and make sure that the laboratory's... purpose wasn't ever interrupted." Tourmaline then put a single, very large hand on Steven's head. "Don't worry dear, we won't get anywhere near the lava. Also, it's a lot colder down below, which means we can use water from the air if necessary."

"So, where's the front door?" Amethyst asked. "If this place even has one."

"Well..." Tourmaline summoned a holographic map of the complex at its prime from her pearl. "The main entrance should be a few hundred meters southeast of here, that's probably our safest bet assuming it hasn't been buried by a layer of sediments over time. It's the largest entry point by far, since all the others are emergency exits, so I doubt it."

The team then made their way to the main entrance, which at this point in time looked more like a natural cave, it's artificial nature only revealing itself once they got very deep within, the soil and sand gradually giving way to a dark, metallic surface until they finally reached the front door, which looked impenetrable. Large, hollow cylinders that looked like guns that were thankfully deactivated appeared from strategic points on both walls, ready this huge corridor into a killzone if necessary.

"Stars, they sure went all out when making this." Rose remarked.

"So, what do we do?" Steven asked as he approached the door. "I don't think there's enough space for Alexandrite here."

"That would be a terrible idea." Garnet replied. " We'd bring the whole place down, and still fail."

"See that panel right next to the door, dear, the one that looks like a hand imprint?" Tourmaline said. "Try pressing your palm there, that should open the door. You're a Diamond, so the system will almost certainly accept your credentials."

Steven acted accordingly and touched the panel, which emitted a very bright blue light. Soon enough, the door - which had several layers - opened, revealing a much narrower hallway, which split in two at the end. The lights were still on, a testament to the durability of Homeworld's technology, and everything was silent, creating a very unsettling atmosphere.

"Geez." Amethyst spoke up. "This is some horror movie shit."

"Amethyst!" The older gems scolded.

"I know, I know, sorry." She replied.

"What?!" Tourmaline suddenly exclaimed, startling everyone.

"Are you okay?" Steven asked before holding one of her hands.

"Wait, no, I -" She continued, not paying attention to the other gems' reactions as her eyes darted at several directions and her arms shifted in discomfort. "Are you sure about this?" Clearly, her components were having a disagreement.

"Do you act like this sometimes, ma'am?" The hybrid asked Garnet.

"Only when I'm about to fall apart." The smaller, older fusion replied. "Tourmaline's still very young, so it's natural for your Pearl and Lapis Lazuli to not quite get the hang of this just yet."

 _Hmm, speaking of pearls..._ Steven thought as he briefly glanced at (other) Pearl. _I wonder why Teacher's been so silent lately? She's not exactly a chatterbox, but still._

"Ugh, fine." The giant blue woman groaned and slumped her shoulders. Soon after, she disappeared in a flash, her components appearing where she once stood.

"What happened?" The child asked, a bit deflated that his gigantic mother figure vanished.

"I thought our combined size would be a liability here." Pearl replied. "Lapis disagreed. I **will** miss that point of view, however..."

"Well, at least I get to look at you." The aristocrat said with a fake grumpy-sounding voice. "And it's not like we can't do it again." She smirked.

"Hmph!" Pearl smirked back before summoning a hairclip from her gemstone and using it to hold her bangs in place, exposing her lovely eyes and completely changing her appearance. "How do I look, my baby?"

"Amazing! You should use that hair thingy more often!" Steven replied with starry eyes, unaware that the former slave, now blushing, wore that exact same hairclip every time she went on a mission or, before that, on a 'shopping trip'.

"Alright," Rose stepped in, cutting the chatter, "everyone ready?"

"Yes!" The others replied, remembering the seriousness of their mission. Joke time was over.

With that, the gems walked into the complex, Rose going in first like the leader she was. The door shut a few seconds later, sealing them in.

They wouldn't leave so soon.

\------------------

Meanwhile...

Greg found himself spending more time in Beach City than Seoul. Thanks to the warp whistle, he had no difficulty traveling from one end of the world to another, and he took full advantage of that. Though never much of an artist (though he did deaw a cover every now and then), the former salesman spent most of his enormous amount of spare time designing his family's future home, the ultimate birthday gift to his son.

When he wasn't doing that, he was looking up potential companies from which he could buy construction materials when the time was right, just appreciating the beach, playing his guitar, and finally having conversations about all sorts of stuff with the other adults, especially Vidalia and Phil.

However, as the days wore on, he couldn't help but worry more and more about where and how Steven was right now. He had proven himself to be a very tough kid, but he was still that, a kid. A kid who had an enormous, awful legacy hanging over his head like a menacing sword of Damocles. The other gems - especially Tourmaline - wouldn't allow anything to touch him, but still. Things could always go wrong.

 _However_ , he remebered, Rose had an infinite supply of healing tears, and Steven had a bottle full of them stored in his gem in case they were needed.

Yeah, he was worrying too much. Hopefully.

\------------------

It had been days since the gems entered the complex.

Maybe hours.

Maybe just minutes, actually.

They had lost track of time, and it didn't help that this place seemed to be an endless labyrinth instead of a secret laboratory. Long corridors stretched on for what seemed to be miles, with extra pathways appearing that only revealed more hallways and doors leading to empty rooms. Everything - the walls, the doors, the rooms - was empty and sterile, which somehow only made it all the more eerie.

"Didn't you have a map of this place, Pearl?" Steven asked his mother figure. "I think we're walking in circles..."

"I'm sure we are." Amethyst added.

"Sadly, the only map I have is shows the outside, and I've never been here before." The blue-skinned former slave replied.

"Anything you can see, Garnet?" Rose asked.

"It's all too blurry now, there are too many paths and possibilities." The fusion answered.

"Anyone else feeling like someone's watching us right now, or is it just me?" Lapis asked as the group kept walking. "Huh, guess it's just me." She said after not receiving an answer.

Another intersection appeared. Which way would they go, forward, right or left?

"Hmm..." Rose pondered. "This new path looks a little different, what do you all think?" She wasn't wrong, for not only was the new hallway a little wider than the others, but its walls were a very light shade of blue. Yep, this was definitely a step in the right direction, the only question left would be which way to go.

"So, should we split up, or...?" Pearl proposed.

"Probably not, we don't know what or who could be in here, and Lapis' instincts should be taken into account." The rebel leader replied, making Lapis' eyes briefly widen in surprise at being mentioned like a real member of the group. How far had she come!

The gems then walked down the corridor, Steven's gut tying itself into a knot as he noticed the walls slowly taking darker shades of blue. A new door blocked their way, one which looked just as thick and impenetrable as the first one, except this one was decorated with an elegant diamond pattern in varying tones of blue, which predictably made the hybrid feel even worse, though he hid that from his teammates and simply pressed his hand on the nearby panel like last time.

The door opened, revealing a very large room that resembled a less decorated version of the interior of the Lunar Sea Spire, with a huge central column with a spiraling stairway that connected to several floors and balconies. Clearly, this was where the staff spent their free time and interacted with one another. The team should've been delighted and celebrating at this major achievement, since the areas with the most valuable potential data (administration and research) could be literally right around the corner, but none of them were.

Something was wrong here.

"This... this is..." (other) Pearl finally spoke up. "It doesn't make sense! It's been two thousand years, there should be at least some decay, especially with the constant seismic activity from the volcano nearby!"

"It's like everyone just got up and left." Amethyst remarked. "And took everything they had with 'em." She finished, noting how barren the room looked.

The door immediately shut a milisecond after the last of the gems, Steven, got in, startling them. The first one sure didn't act like this...

"... Okay, we're definitely not alone down here." Pearl said while her son was still speechless due to almost being crushed.

The gems slowly fanned out accross the room, never losing sight of one another, and just like Amethyst said, found out there was nothing useful here. Nothing except for more potential paths to take.

"Seriously, are gems just supposed to know *exactly* where they should go everytime without so much as a little help?" The hybrid asked to no one in particular. This place could really use some signs, seriously.

Before anyone could reply to him, Garnet suddenly summoned her gauntlets and got into a fighting stance, prompting the others to do the same. "Brace yourselves!" She shouted as a deafeningly loud alarm siren began to blare. Lapis was right, someone **was** watching them.

The siren continued to ring for many nerve wracking seconds until several floating cone-shaped drones appeared from multiple directions. Pearl gasped in terror, for she was fully aware of what they were: shattering robonoids.

"ROSE! SHIELD!" She yelled. Rose acted accordingly and expanded her shield until it was large enough to cover the entire team. The robonoids fired electric beams that harmlessly reflected off the shield's surface, but were nevertheless strong enough to push it back a bit and cause tremendous damage to the room's walls and the floor, making pieces of rubble fly everywhere. More drones appeared, and it became obvious the gems needed to go on the offensive.

Rose shrank her shield to a more manageable size and threw it at one of the robonoids, cutting it in half, while the others spread out in order to split up the machines' deadly fire and deal with them more easily. Amethyst wrapped her whips on some of them, either swinging them against other drones or just destroying them outright with her weapons' purple shockwaves. Garnet either fired her gauntlets or just leaped and punched the robonoids head on, while (other) Pearl adopted a similar strategy but adapted to her laser-shooting spear.

Pearl, Lapis and Steven were having a much harder time. The first had no ranged attacks whatsoever, so she had no choice but to try to jump and slash or stab with her gauntlet-swords, which was quite a difficult task considering her targets were very nimble. The second summoned her wings and turned them into sharp icicles, but she was so busy dodging all the lasers she couldn't create more projectiles out of the water in the air. The third's energy spheres weren't strong enough to completely destroy the robonoids, only to send them flying back (after which they returned with a vengeance). As if that weren't enough, he wasn't skilled enough with his waterbending to the point of creating icicles from 'thin air' just yet, nor could he jump high enough to stab the agile flying machines with his glaive.

More robonoids appeared, causing more and more damage to the room with their electric beams, until the inevitable happened: the central column, its integrity compromised, finally gave way and collapsed, hitting the balconies in the way forcing the gems to scramble for cover lest they be crushed by the rubble. They ran to where Rose, who turned her shield into a giant protective umbrella, was, and Steven raced in her direction. Unfortunately, a huge chunk of debris fell on his way, and there was no time for him to just run around it since a robonoid got its sights on him and started firing away.

Having lost sight of his teammates in the chaos, and with no other options, the hybrid ran into one of the many hallways connecting into the room... whose entrance immediately sealed itself shut as soon as he got inside, cutting him off.

"Oh no!" Steven thought aloud before seeing a panel identical right beside the door. He pressed his hand on it, as he had done twice now... only for the panel to glow red and emmit a very loud, angry beep.

"What?!" He touched the panel again.

"No!" And again.

"Nonononono!" Again, again, and again... but the response was always the same. Why wasn't it working, he was a Diamond! Shouldn't his gem signature or whatever this thing read recognize him as such and override whatever previous command it was under?!

"Guys! GUYS!" He yelled and pounded the door desperately as he heard the battle at the other side resuming, not caring if anything or anyone who could be sneaking up behind his back. His teammates were fighting for their lives, and he couldn't do anything to help them! The hybrid almost broke down and cried, but he held his tears back. This was not what they would've wanted him to do. He couldn't protect them, as well as Greg, Peedee and Connie, by acting like this.

So Steven turned around, gripped his weapon with renewed resolve, braced himself for whatever could come after him, and waited for the battle to end. After a few minutes that felt like an eternity, the battle finally died down... and the boy felt an absolutely **enormous** amount of force hit the door behind him, one which almost brought him to his knees.

"What are you thinking?!" An angry voice that definitely belonged to Rose spoke. "Do you want to bring this whole place down?!"

"I'm... sorry!" Another voice - probably Tourmaline considering its hesitation - replied. "We - I, just thought that, well..."

"Guys!" Steven shouted, cutting the chatter. "Guys, are you alright?"

"STEVEN!" Everyone replied in varying tones of surprise and relief. "My baby, are you okay?" Tourmaline asked.

"Yeah!"

"Can you open this door? Do you see any panels nearby?" Rose asked.

"I do, but it's not responding." The hybrid asked.

"What?!" Came the reply.

"I don't get it either."

"Hmm..." (other) Pearl put a hand on her chin and let her keen tactical mind do its work. _Alright, first things first, all pathways are open, except for this one, which closed immediately after he got in._ She thought. _Combine that with how he almost got crushed when we got here, and the robonoid who intercepted him before he could reach us..._ Her eyes widened. _But this is a Homeworld facility! We, no, **Rose** should be the main target, not him! Unless... But who? Who?!_

"Steven!" She called her student.

"Yes, Teacher?"

"Listen, whoever is behind this wants to have you all by yourself!" She began. "We'll try our best to find another path to get to you, but be prepared to face this person completely on your own! Remember what I've taught you!"

"Yes, ma'am!" He replied, all pumped up, perhaps not quite aware of his predicament just yet.

"Alright everyone, you heard her! Let's go!" Rose commanded.

"Right!" Steven heard the other gems reply and then walk away somewhere. It was only when everything fell silent that the gravity of the situation finally hit him. He was completely alone now, a lamb about to walk right into the heart of the slaughterhouse. The hybrid felt fear gnaw into his nonexistent heart, but he gritted his teeth and pushed these feelings away. He had no choice, and besides, he was going to see his friends and family again, no matter what this mysterious enemy had in store for him.

After a few minutes of walking, the little Diamond's eyes noticed something shiny on the floor. He approached this unknown object warily, put extra attention on his hearing to make sure nobody snuck up on him, then picked it up, gasping in horror after realizing what it was: a gem shard. Someone had been murdered here.

Steven wasn't able to spend much time pondering about this person's unfortunate fate, since his ears picked up something scurrying rapidly along the floor. He turned around and saw, with the corner of his eye, a vaguely spider-like form running away from him at great speed and entering a room, disappearing from his sight.

"What the...?" He thought out aloud, slowly approaching said room's entrance and gulping nervously when it didn't close. His enemy obviously wanted him to get in here, and so he took a deep breath and did exactly that. The hybrid slowly walked in, noticing that this room wasn't as empty as the others, for it had something that resembled a bookshelf, a small table and a chair next to it. Maybe this was that poor gem's personal quarters?

The 'spider' crawled out from under the table and looked at him, giving Steven a chance to do that as well. The creature had six thin, bony legs, a multicolored, roughly spherical/oval body, and two long stalks, with eyes at the tip, that extended from it. It also had a 'mane' of some sort on its underside, a second pair of eyes just above said mane, an upside-down nose and... a mouth. A very human mouth.

**Oh my God.**

Steven felt an urge to throw up, and covered his mouth. This wasn't a wild animal or a corrupted gem, this was a head! An actual person's severed head! And those weren't legs, they were grotesquely elongated fingers that were attached to it in some horrible experiment!

"Wh - what..." He slowly stumbled back, shaking, and almost fell. "What is this?"

The creature shrieked, its expression curling up in rage, before charging at him. The hybrid was so paralyzed he didn't take action until it was already too late: by the time he got a grip on himself, the mutant had pounced on his face.

"AAAAH!" Steven screamed in pain and terror as he felt the monster scratch him with its sharp fingernails, trying, perhaps, to rip out his eyes. Before it could do that, however, he grabbed it with both hands and threw it on the floor with enough force to make it crack. Surprisingly enough, perhaps, the abomination didn't poof, but it didn't matter since Steven stabbed it with his glaive before it could recuperate. With its physical form destroyed, all that was left of the creature was its gemstone, which the hybrid promptly picked up and examined closely.

This wasn't a normal gem, but rather several small shards fused together. The urge to vomit returned, but he forced it down a second time, and also choked back a sob after noticing that one of the shards was compatible to the one he found earlier. That poor gem...

Who could've done this?

His pained expression was briefly replaced by an enraged scowl. This question was irrelevant, for he already knew the answer all too well. Another, much more pressing one, took its place: what was he supposed to do with the... thing in his hands?

Crystal Gem protocol demanded that all valuable artifacts and corrupted gems be bubbled and sent back to the Temple. Steven fully agreed with it, since it only made sense: the artifacts could be very useful later on, and the corrupted gems could - **would** , he swore - be healed from the horrible wounds the Diamonds inflicted on them. But a being (if he could call it that) such as this was beyond recovery, condemned to spend the rest of its immortal existence in constant, unimaginable agony, a cruel mockery of the gems whose pieces were used to create it.

A dark thought entered his mind. Was it the best option?

_Rose wouldn't do this! You'll go too far!_

_She'd just keep it bubbled forever! What if it got out? You'd have to do it all over again!_

_You don't know that!_

_You **do**!_

_No!_

_You know what you are, so stop hiding from yourself and act like it!_

The hybrid gasped and the entire room froze in an instant. His eyes began to glow blue, round pupils turning into diamond-shaped slits.

_You're a Diamond. It's your nature. Do it!_

"I'm... better..." He stuttered.

_Sure, just ask those Connie and Peedee about it... Do us all a favor and stop lying to yourself already._

"SHUT UP!" Steven yelled, the noise shattering the furniture, covered in ice, like glass. _I know it... I know I am, and I can't run away from it..._ He thought. _But..._ A flame lit up deep within his gem. _This isn't everything I am._ The ice began to melt. _It's not everything **she** was, either..._

He took a deep breath. "So I know better than just indulging **you**." The hybrid said to himself without a single hint of uncertainty as his eyes returned to normal, a blue bubble encased the mutant's remains and the ice vanished. The little Diamond tapped the bubble lightly, sending it to the Temple. "Alright, where was I?" He exited the room and continued on his way, noticing that most potential entrances were closed. Clearly, the enemy wanted to face him in person, just like his teacher said.

Or he was being funneled into a trap.

Steven's ears picked up the sound something crawling in the ceiling. Not on, **in** the ceiling, outside of his sight and certainly ready to strike. Wait a second, was there something under the floor too? Or were this hallway's weird acoustics playing a trick on him? Whetever the answer was, the sound zeroed in on him, and Steven started running as fast as he could.

Refusing to look back, lest he slow down, the hybrid heard something big break through the floor and 'swim' after him like a worm, which naturally only made him run even faster until he entered another large room with many floors, quite similar to the one where he and his teammates were attacked by those robonoids, except this one didn't have a central pillar and a staircase.

All potential entrances closed once he got into the center of the room, forcing him to stand and fight this new threat. Gathering his courage and turning around, Steven summoned his glaive (which he had stored in his gem right before the chase began so as to make running easier) once more.

His subterranean pursuer stopped in its tracks and fell silent. Then, after several tense seconds, it emerged, a gargantuan, horrific, multicolored, pulsating and gurgling blob of flesh with several eyes, limbs and mouths. As Steven stood and watched, his expression a mix of disgust and fear, the monster mutated further, with faces and eventually malformed, attached bodies emerging from its main core. The people - or, rather, what was left of them - screamed in fury after seeing the hybrid, exactly like the first mutant did, their disconnected voices almost deafening.

Steven prepared to create an energy sphere - no way he'd fight that thing at close range if he could avoid it - but before he could do so a long, thin tentacle erupted from the floor right next to him. The hybrid promptly chopped it in half with his glaive, but not only did the abomination refuse to poof, it didn't do so much as react to his attack.

"What?!" He shouted, dumbfounded, as the tentacle's remain grew insect-like legs and a mouth where it was cut off, then tried to jump at him, an attack he quickly avoided. More tentacles erupted and tried to ensare him, but he dodged them too, and this time left them alone, lest he end up having to deal with a dozen infinitely more agile opponents running after him.

The boy had to think, and fast, before he made a mistake and got ripped to shreds because of it. His melee weapon was useless, so how about a ranged attack? He kept dodging until the right moment, summoned an energy sphere almost as large as the one he created in the fight against that corrupted fusion, then threw it against the monster's main body.

The mutant, firmly rooted to the ground, reeled back from the blow, its formless body continuing to writhe endlessly. It roared in rage once more and, to Steven's horror, started to slowly lift itself off the floor with its multiple limbs until its body was completely disconnected from it. The tentacles remained and continued attacking the hybrid, making him realize that he wasn't dealing with one of these horrible experiments, but several.

" **B** LU _E_ **D** I **A** m ** _o_** n _d_!" The monster screamed in a blood-curdling, distorted cacophony of voices, then charged at its target with a speed that was much greater than what Steven expected.

"Shit!" The hybrid swore accidentally as he jumped aside to avoid the attack... only for one of the beast's arms to grab him by the collar of his shirt. He reacted immediately and stabbed his attacker, making it scream in pain and throw him at a wall rather than finishing him off. _Just what in the Stars is this thing?!_ Steven thought as he got up. He had penetrated its skin, and yet it refused to poof like an ordinary gem - and the mutant he faced just minutes ago - should've done! What was he supposed to do now?

The deadly game of several cats and just one mouse went on for several minutes, and all of the latter's attacks seemed useless - when he wasn't too busy dodging to go on the offensive. Fatigue was setting in, and he knew he couldn't keep this up for much longer. Something drastic had to be done.

Drastic and monumentally stupid.

Steven took a deep breath and stood completely still. The monsters saw it as the perfect opportunity to attack and acted accordingly. Time slowed down for the young hybrid, who watched the blob of flesh and the tentacles move in closer and closer. In this extremely short interval that felt like an eternity, he searched for the feelings that were buried deeply within his mind and gem, the ones he only showed to others when things got really out of hand: fear, sadness, and, worst of all, rage. With a single thought, he ordered them to spring forth. And so they did.

In the blink of an eye, virtually everything in the room was frozen solid: the walls, the floor, and, of course, the mutants. All of them except for one, the main blob which had chased him here. Though its movements grew ever slower, it still crawled forward, hellbent on reaching its organic target.

 _No matter,_ Steven thought as he held his ground, refusing to flinch. He was a Diamond, and whenever he wanted something, he got it.

Right now, he wanted, no, **demanded** , that this pitiful creature rest in peace, for whatever sins the people who composed it committed before being forced to fuse, they had paid for them a thousand times over. It was only a matter of time before it surrendered to his desires. Such was his nature: to lead, to order, to rule, just like his mother did.

"You..." The amalgamation of gems, now less than a meter away from him, spoke for the last time. "Thank... you..." Its faces - those that weren't frozen - smiled. Their agony had finally come to an end.

Still refusing to change his expression, Steven slowly raised his left hand. With a crushing motion, he commanded all ice in the room to shatter, and soon enough the only traces left of the monstrosities attacking him were their gemstones, which were carefully bubbled and sent to the Temple one by one. It was only after the final gem was bubbled that the hybrid allowed his now shivering body to collapse from the physical and mental exhaustion consuming him.

This wasn't right or fair, none of it was. He didn't deserve to be separated from his family and trapped in this hellhole like a lab rat. Those shattered gems didn't deserve to be reborn into a life of eternal pain and misery. Rose and the others shouldn't have to help him to clean the mess his monster of a mother left behind. Was this why she killed herself by giving birth to him, a way to avoid the punishment she deserved? Was this all he was here for? To put her countless victims to rest?

Steven's mind was snapped out of these thoughts by the sound of a huge pillar slowly descending from the ceiling. Said pillar, much like the one in the first room, had a staircase that spiraled around it. All the other pathways remained closed, giving him only one path to take. He slowly rose up.

And that was when his mind reached a conclusion: it didn't matter what Blue Diamond wanted him to do. She was dead, he was alive. Most importantly, his family desperately needed his help, he just knew it, he couldn't afford to let them down now. That was what really mattered.

The boy summoned the bottle Rose gave him, the one filled with her magical tears, and took a hearty swig from it, making his physical fatigue vanish instantly. After storing it back in his gem, he calmly walked up the stairs, ready to react at the first sign of danger. As he reached the top of the staircase, he noticed that all hallways were closed, except for one whose opening and walls were decorated with intricate, elegant patterns.

Steven took a slow, deep breath. There was no way he wasn't walking right into the lion's den. But his loved ones were counting on him, and that was more than enough to drive the hybrid forward.

After a few minutes of walking, he entered an entirely different room, making him gasp. Its circular walls were lined up with computers, panels and screens, one in particular showing the Crystal Gems fighting a wave of gem mutants. He also saw something else, something much more urgent for him to deal with: a kneeling suit of armor, apparently resting most of its weight on what looked like a morning star, just a few meters away from him. Behind said suit was an enormous mural depicting Blue Diamond in all her glory, which only made everything more ominous.

"You!" Steven shouted, anger creeping into his voice as he finally confronted the individual responsible for his predicament face to face. "So you're the one behind this mess!"

Silence.

"I know you're not just an empty suit, so don't give me the silent treatment!" He continued. "What's the matter? Are you scared because you ran out of monsters to throw at me?!"

 **"..."** An eerie metallic wind echoed throughout the room. What was it?

 **"..."** It went on.

 **"..."** And on.

 **"..."** Steven realized what he was hearing. This wasn't just wind, these were words from a long bygone age. A language he couldn't possibly hope to understand.

 **"..."** The air shook with tension, a sign of what was about to happen.

 **"!!!"** The armor rose up, its plates shifting loudly as it moved, and grabbed its weapon with both hands.

This was it. The lives of his friends and family hung in the balance.

With that in mind, Steven gritted his teeth, gripped his glaive and prepared for battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost, ALMOST had Steven give in to the temptation of shattering the Cluster prototype in that one scene since it would be a mercy kill. 
> 
> I decided that, with everything he's forced to face in this chapter, giving him the extra weight that comes with being a shatterer was just too much for the poor guy.
> 
> So, what do you all think?


	22. A Glimpse into Hell, Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Desperately fighting for his life, Steven puts all of his abilities and training to the test.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: The third part of this chapter is seriously messed up. And by messed up, I mean graphic.

\------------------

As he watched the suit get up, Steven thought, for the briefest of moments, about the unbelievable sequence of events that led him and his family into this place and situation, which started just a few weeks ago: he unwittingly reunited two mortal enemies completely by accident, and now they were all trapped inside this hellish laboratory, forced to fight flying robots, abominations and who or whatever the hybrid's current opponent was.

His mind immediately snapped back to reality when he heard the sound of the suit charging at him, brandishing its morning star in preparation for a downward strike. Steven easily jumped back, and that was when he had an idea: the moment his adversary's obviously very heavy weapon hit the floor, he'd counterattack by stabbing its exposed chest with his glaive, assuming there was some sort of gap in that armor of course. Unfortunately, it was not to be, for the enemy immediately swung its weapon upward as soon as it realized its initial blow didn't connect.

"What?!" Steven shouted in surprise before leaping back a second time, the morning star barely missing his chin, which probably would've been pulverized had it been hit. He barely had any time to process what just happened before the mace came down again, and this time there was no choice left but to block the attack. Miraculously, the glaive's pole didn't just break in half after making direct contact (he'd give a big hug to whoever forged it if he could), but the strength of the blow almost brought him to his knees. To make matters worse, he was now trapped in a lock against someone who was much taller and physically stronger than him.

This metaphorical arm wrestling match could have only one result, but the hybrid had a trick up his sleeve. The air, cold and humid, had plenty of water in it, and he used his hydrokinesis to create several floating blobs of water that quickly solidified into sharp icicles, which then flew straight into his opponent's back. The armor easily blocked this attack by shattering them all with a single swing, but while doing so was forced to let Steven escape.

Now that he was free to plan his next move, the boy turned around and ran away as fast as he could, out of the control room and into the corridor which led led him there, all the while hearing the loud clanking of the enemy's boots chasing him. He would almost certainly be toast unless he got some distance between himself and that armor, plus his most powerful abilities were all ranged ones anyway.

But Steven wasn't fast enough, and soon enough he had to jump and roll to the side in order to avoid the morning star, which this time hit the floor, causing a huge bang which shook the entire hallway and cracked the floor. A golden opportunity appeared before the hybrid: the armor, clearly losing patience with him (which suggested that there was a person in there, rather than a robot), was now open to a counterattack, and he thrust his glaive into its exposed with all the strength he could muster, only for it to bounce off with a harmless clang.

"Oh great." Did he seriously just forget that his enemy was made out of metal?

Said enemy turned around and scraped its weapon along the floor like a broom in the process, throwing dust and tiny pieces of rubble straight into the hybrid's eyes, blinding him. Now it was his turn to let his guard down, and the enemy took full advantage of it by kicking the glaive out of his hands and hurling it like a javelin as far away as possible, a very distant clatter echoing from the room where Steven fought those gem mutants.

The little Diamond, now (seemingly) defenseless, bolted away as fast as his legs could carry him, only for the armor to press a button in its own weapon's hilt that revealed a very long chain, transforming what was once a morning star into a flail. Much like Amethyst might've done, the enemy swung its 'whip' in Steven's direction, which then coiled itself around the boy's body and tied his arms to his torso.

It looked as if it was all over.

But even if Steven didn't have a weapon at the moment, he still had his powers. Before the armor could pull him closer and finish him off, he froze the chain binding him in the blink of an eye, making it so brittle that it shattered when he spread his arms out.

The tide had shifted.

Steven summoned several floating icicles that promptly surrounded his enemy, almost like a firing squad of sorts. He felt more than a little sorry for doing something like this, but the alternative was dying and ensuring his family never got out of here. With the flick of a wrist, he commanded the icicles to fly at their target all at once.

The armor performed admirably well given the circumstances, shattering many icicles by either punching or kicking them, as well as dodging others, but the Diamond's attack was unrelenting and, inevitably, scored some hits that left small cracks all over its 'skin'. Still, its plates were much thicker and tougher than he had expected, and Steven found himself losing a lot of steam, for he had never used his powers to such a degree before. It was like making several knives, throwing them, and repeating the process over and over again. Unless he finished this battle now, he'd be in a lot of trouble, he just knew it.

He reflexively tried to summon the bottle containing Rose's tears from his gem, but decided against it lest he create an opening at such a critical moment. Instead, Steven summoned an energy sphere with both hands and let it slowly grow as he added more and more power to it. That was when he had another idea: instead of throwing it after reaching an ideal size, as he usually did, the hybrid compressed the sphere and put even more power into it, to the point that he almost felt its weight bearing down on him.

He gasped after it escaped his hands and braced for an explosion, but the sphere, to his surprise, did explode, but in a completely unexpected manner: instead of just blowing up like a bomb, it released a continuous stream of lasers, almost like a machine gun, that hit the armor head on and sent it flying several meters before it hit a wall with immense force, making pieces of the ceiling fall and creating a dust cloud.

"Wow..." Steven uttered in amazement as the sound of pieces of metal falling all over the floor, like candy from a broken piñata, rang in his ears. He would definitely use this new ability more often. He then summoned his training sabre, just in case the enemy miraculously survived this final attack, and waited for the dust to settle. Suddenly, he felt something absolutely **horrible** twist deep within his gut. What was all this, this... pain? This hatred? They weren't his, that was for sure.

There was only one possible source.

Steven's eyes widened in horror as the dust cloud settled and revealed that the armor, far from being defeated, instead took on a much more slender, sleek form that now wielded a long, thin rapier with a cup hilt as its weapon. And, despite not having a face, it looked seriously pissed off.

After a brief staredown that probably lasted less than a second, but still felt like an eternity, the armor leaped at the hybrid, covering several meters in the blink of an eye, and delivered a blow that he only barely managed to block with his own sword.

This battle was far from over.

\------------------

Meanwhile...

It seemed as if the Crystal Gems' predicament could only go from bad to worse. Every room, every corridor, every available path led either to a dead end or a new wave of enemies, and it all went even further downhill after Garnet of all people started rashly running ahead of everyone else without saying and leading the others into multiple kill zones. Rose could protect all of her teammates without a problem, but even she was running out of patience with this labyrinth and all of its very peculiar inhabitants.

Unsurprisingly perhaps, neither she nor the others were angry at the fusion's sudden change of attitude, for they knew it almost certainly meant she was having a very bad vision (which obviously involved Steven), and instead followed her every step of the way. It wasn't like they couldn't hold their own, so long as they fought together, either, and the alternative was to stand around and do nothing.

Their little boy needed them, so they fought harder with every new obstacle they faced.

They were doing it for him.

\------------------

Back to the main event...

 _Oh Teacher, thank you so much._ Steven thought, amazed that he hadn't been hit at this point. The armor, now much lighter and faster, struck him again and again with lightning speed, delivering dozens of thrusts and slashes in multiple directions every few seconds, forcing its target into a perpetual defense. And though the hybrid still blocked or dodged all of these strikes for the moment, he was being slowly worn down, and it was only a matter of time before he made a fatal mistake. He really should've drunk those tears when he had the chance.

The dueling pair were once again fighting it out in the control room, the huge mural depicting Blue Diamond boosting the armor's hatred, and the footage of the Crystal Gems running and fighting with everything they had hardening Steven's resolve. Their synchonized dance would've been beautiful, were it not so deadly.

The longer the battle went, the less skill the hybrid showed in his defenses, until he finally gave the enemy a chance to kick his right knee, which broke with a sickening crunch and made him scream at the top of his lungs in pain. Steven collapsed on the ground with a thud, still holding his sword before the armor, truly having had enough of this, grabbed his left forearm, held him up high, and **squeezed** it, getting a second scream out of him as he felt his bones being crushed and finally let go of his weapon.

It was all over, he knew it. This was how he died, letting everyone who counted on him down. Tears welled up in his eyes as he began to imagine the look on Pearl's face after seeing his corpse... assuming she and the others even got the chance to find him, that is.

But the armor wasn't done with him yet. Oh no, this was just the beginning. With its little opponent now truly helpless, the armor kicked his fallen sword away and slammed him onto the floor so hard his body made an impact crater. Then, it cast its own weapon aside and started to wail on him with its fists, each punch drawing more and more blood from the boy's face until it was finally a battered mess, littered with cuts and bruises, by the time this stage of the beating was over.

Though already resigned to his fate, something compelled Steven to get up and do something, **anything**. Unfortunately, he was swiftly kicked in the side before he could even get on all fours, flopping pathetically and definitely breaking a rib or two since he coughed up blood right after. The next thing he felt were the armor's fingers working their way through his hair and grabbing him by the scalp.

He knew what was about to happen next. As if his face wasn't messed up enough, the enemy slammed it on the ground, **hard** , several times letting go and cleaning its hand of bits of the poor boy's hair that were stuck to it once its rage was satisfied at last.

The armor got up and slowly walked to the computers, observing the Crystal Gems intently. Now it was time to take care of them, one by one.

"Heh..."

Wait a minute.

"Hehehehe..." That voice... no way. No fucking way!

"My, my..." Steven said with a wicked look on his face and a mouth dripping with sarcasm. "You must be very proud of yourself right now, aren't you?" He giggled again.

The armor turned around to face him, overwhelmed by disbelief and a new tide of anger.

"You've just beaten the crap out of a ten year old child. I'm shocked, I tell you, shocked!" He dropped the grin, but not the sarcasm, and added some of his own anger. "I know - **!!!** " His monologue was cut by a coughing fit caused by his broken ribs and ruptured lungs, but it eventually subsided. "I know you're not gonna believe me... you'll keep thinking I'm someone else..." His breathing was shallow and labored. "... But I swear I'm just a humble little earthling. Even so, I managed to mess you up pretty badly..."

The hybrid saw one of his enemy's hands clench into a fist, and felt its invisible face twist in rage.

This only egged him on further. "That's right..." Were it not for his ruined lungs, he would've probably cackled. "You just wasted a lot of time fighting someone who doesn't have an ounce of experience next to you, and you didn't even finish the job... How does that make you feel?" The armor began to shiver, but at this point Steven was too angry to care. "I'll say it again: a little brat almost defeated you!"

The armor was now shaking loudly, almost like a rattle. This was it.

 **"YOU'RE JUST AN IDIOT WHO'S BEEN SITTING HERE DOING NOTHING FOR WAY TOO LONG!"** He yelled at the top of his lungs. **"I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE GEMS TO KICK YOUR BUTT!"**

Like a furious thunderbolt, the armor raced to where Steven was, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and hurled him into a computer screen several meters away, shattering it and sending countless shards of glass onto the floor.

The hybrid was too numb to care about his new injuries, but suddenly a new thought, a ray of hope, entered his mind as he assessed the situation. There was now a respectable distance between him and the enemy, who was now slowly walking even further away to pick up its sword. This was his chance!

 _Come on..._ He thought, desperately ordering his gem to summon the bottle with Rose's healing tears. _Come on!_ He was so tired, so weak...

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, his gem glowed and he was now holding the bottle with his right hand. Now he had to open it, which proved itself to be an even harder task since his left hand was completely useless and his remaining one was so slick with blood the precious vial almost slipped.

"Damn... it..." He couldn't open it! Was he seriously going to die because he couldn't open a freaking plastic bottle?!

The hybrid's eyes lit up like stars after he felt and saw the little cap give way... before he looked up and saw the armor towering above his little body, ready to finish him off once and for all with its sword. No, he needed more time, he was so close!

And yet, he didn't have it. Fate was a bitch, wasn't it?

The enemy effortlessly took the bottle away from his hand and cut it to pieces, destroying his last hope of survival. He didn't bother even trying to react, either to the rapier being plunged into his abdomen, or to being held up high in the air like a trophy. All he could think about was how he failed his friends and family. He had so many dreams now, so many loved ones he met just a few weeks ago, and everything was about to end with him drowning in his own blood.

Blood... Blood...

There was so much of it, on his skin, clothes, and the floor...

So much of it, leaving his body and running down the sword impaling him...

So much of it, slipping into the armor through the gaps in its many joints...

Blood, blood...

 _Blood!_ Steven's eyes, glassy and opaque, lit up with yet another idea and a sudden, final surge of energy. He was not dead yet, damn it. He didn't know if one drop of those tears hit him by accident or if this was all coming from sheer willpower, but either way he weakly commanded his blood to slowly infiltrate his enemy's hollow body bit by bit.

"You..." He lifted his head up. "You should've aimed for my neck instead..." With that, he grabbed the blade and slowly began to push himself away. The armor tried to use its free hand to stop him, but found itself unable to do so. It then jolted violently as it realized its body was being taken over from within, but at that point it was too late.

Steven fell on the floor with a thud as the enemy continued to try to move, to no avail. Still, it was taking every bit of his remaining energy to keep it at bay, and his failing eyes scanned the room for every remnant of that bottle and any healing tears it may still carry. Upon seeing a piece of plastic that used to be its bottom, turned over but still containing a few precious drops, he slowly began to crawl in its direction, every inch feeling like a marathon.

By the time he made it to his destination, he was about to pass out and unwittingly released the armor from his control, which immediately ran after him. But now he had plenty of time to grab the little container with his functioning hand and eagerly gulp down its contents. Maybe fate wasn't such a bitch after all.

Now fully recovered, at least physically, Steven slowly got up and turned around to face his enemy, who was at this point on the verge of impaling him a second time.

"Oh no you don't!" He ducked, dodging the attack, and delivered a punch so powerful to the armor's exposed breastplate that it was sent flying back several meters before hitting a wall and falling completely, like a metal house of cards, allowing the hybrid to look at his enemy's real body, a cracked, glowing green gemstone with several tones wedged in the back of its cuirass.

It was a sight that made his wrath disappear, at least for the moment. This was a prisoner, not unlike Lapis Lazuli, the only difference being that this gem was trapped in a suit of armor rather than a mirror. He already had a plan for her, but before acting upon it he needed to help his family.

So he made his way to the screen showing them, still running and fighting with everything they got... and facepalmed upon remembering he couldn't understand any of the buttons. He couldn't risk potentially pressing the wrong one and killing them all. Looks like he was going to free that gem sooner than he intended.

He walked to where the now broken cuirass was, grabbed the gemstone as carefully as he could so as to not shatter it and, after several seconds, finally pulled it out, almost falling flat on his back from the recoil of the prison letting go of its captive.

Free at last, the gem started to float and created a body of hard light around it, emitting a very bright glow that made Steven shield his eyes. When the light died down, the hybrid saw the gem, her body complete, lying on the ground. She had a wild mane of hair, average height and muscular build, green skin with several patterns, just like her gemstone, and from what the boy could see her outfit was a military one, with knee high boots and what looked like a cape beneath all that hair.

"Stranger!" Steven shouted before racing at her, noticing her body was shivering. As he stood right by her side and tried to help her get up, he noticed another detail that horrified him: the unknown gem's skin was covered in cracks that were definitely not natural.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"You..." She replied with a tone that immediately made Steven back away. "Don't you **dare** pity me." She lifted her head and looked at the boy straight in the eyes, giving him a clear view of her face, which was also cracked. "I'm not as stupid as you think I am, **My Diamond**." Those last two words were full of venom.

"Come on, not this again!" Steven replied, exasperated. "I already told you I'm a kid, an earthling!"

"Truly, your cruelty knows no bounds..." She giggled darkly. "I don't know why I'm even surprised."

"Please, let me help you! The sooner we work this out the sooner Rose can -"

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH, DAMN IT!" Came the roar. "You, help me, like you already have?" She pointed to what was left of the armor. "Like you helped my soldiers, who were shattered and corrupted after realizing what they were really fighting for during the war? Or those you couldn't even pretend to be merciful to, and were instead turned into those things?"

"For the last time, I'm not Blue Diamond!" He was running out of patience fast.

"Enough!" The stranger got up on her feet and grabbed her rapier, prompting Steven to do the same with his sabre.

"I don't want to fight you!"

"Too bad, I do!" With that, she charged at him with a loud cry and delivered a series of blows that the hybrid blocked with ease.

"I know someone like you, a gem named Lapis Lazuli!" This was so easy Steven could talk in the middle of the fight. "She was imprisoned in a mirror, she'll understand you, I promise!"

"You didn't trust my word back when I was your best general!" Came the reply. "So why should I do the same to you?!"

"I!" A sword lock. "Am!" He held his ground. "NOT!" Pushed her back. " **HER!** " And unleashed a hail of lasers on her. He could feel his mind being clouded by that awful, murderous rage he so despised, but was too tired psychologically to stop it. It was only a matter of time before she was shattered.

"I..." Amazingly, the gem was still in one piece and had her rapier in hand. "I am a malachite!" She got up. "This pain is nothing to me!" Then charged at him again.

Steven, readying his stance, couldn't believe that Malachite's hatred compelled her to fight on even when her body was in such a ruined state, and when she, unlike him, had nothing to lose. That was when her last words hit him like a truck. He was tired. Tired of all the fighting, the screams, the pain. So he cast his weapon aside, even as his enemy closed in, ready to pierce a hole into his skull.

What was he thinking?! Why wasn't he moving?!

Steven didn't blink. Not when he saw the tip of the rapier closing in, nor when it stopped just centimeters away from his forehead. He didn't do so after seeing the shocked look on soon-to-be-killer's face, either. He just stood there, staring for what seemed like an eternity without making a sound.

"You said 'this pain' just now." The hybrid finally spoke, his face softening. "'Pain'. You're in pain." His rage vanished.

[Recommended music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjTHAw_okOk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjTHAw_okOk)

Malachite was hit, at last, by the realization of everything that happened. She had been imprisoned in that armor, unable to feel or speak, for countless centuries, to the point that the only thing she could do, before and after shattering those horrible scientists, was to stand still and **hate**. She was so blind, so eager, so ready to enact her revenge on anyone who came across her that she put the lives of the very people her soldiers fought for at risk, then brutally mauled someone who was only vaguely connected to the person responsible for her predicament.

That strange earthling, despite its aura and power, was definitely not Blue Diamond. And Malachite proved she was no different from those who turned her subordinates' lives into an eternal hell. And yet, despite all that, she was now free, free to speak and to feel. The very earthling she pummeled into the ground freed her.

He had restored her soul.

"That was why I refused to fight you." Steven explained, almost as if he was reading her mind. "And that was why you stopped your sword."

The old warrior's features were no longer twisted by rage and hatred. Even as the pain and wounds ravaged her body, her face remained serene and peaceful.

"You... you freed me, after everything I did. And after I lashed out, you still believed I would stop my attack." She began, raspy voice filled with amazement. "How - !!!" She fell on her knees, cringing and groaning in pain, before Steven helped put her in a more comfortable position. "How could you?"

"Because," the hybrid began, glancing at the mural, "this was not your fault. None of it was."

Malachite let out a hoarse, weak laugh in response. "You were right, little stranger, I am in pain. Quite a lot of it in fact..." She cringed again, earning a concerned reaction from her listener, but nevertheless continued. "Yet I couldn't be happier, because this pain means I'm alive. After so many years, I'm still alive, and now free..."

The cracks on her skin were growing, and Steven no longer had any healing tears left. He needed Rose to come here, and fast! "Please, Malachite," he began, "tell me what I have to do to get the others to come here! Rose can fix you!"

"My wounds are beyond healing, little one, I should've died long ago. What a wonderful gift this is, to live long enough to meet someone like you right before I fade."

"No!" Came the distressed yell. "Please, tell me what to do!"

"Listen to me!" Her voice was now serious, and she put a hand on the hybrid's shoulder. "There are a million paths to this place. The only reason you haven't reunited with them by now was because of me, who did my best to put as many obstacles in their way. They'll find you soon enough, especially with that Ruby and Sapphire leading them." She pointed at the computer screen showing the Crystal Gems, now racing through several corridors and rooms without any enemies delaying them, before turning back to her little listener, whose eyes were still full of that innocent hope children had in spades.

"Noble knight from an universe so much younger than mine..." Malachite began, using the kind of vocabulary to be expected from a high ranking aristocrat such as herself. "Please tell me your name."

"Steven, Steven Universe." Came the answer, as the little Diamond did what he could to hold his tears back.

"Steven..." Malachite bowed and presented him her rapier. "I pledge this sword to you, as well as my strength, and that of my soldiers. When the times are dark and everything seems hopeless, we'll be there for you, fighting on your behalf. You won't see us, but we'll be at your side, shoulder to shoulder." The general's voice grew weaker and weaker.

The sickening sound of a gem falling apart filled the air. Her time had come.

"Malachite! **Malachite!** " Steven shouted, grabbing one of her hands.

"Remember... us..." She gave one final smile. "May the Stars watch over you..." With that, she poofed, leaving a pile of green shards on the floor.

"No, no!" Steven desperately set about putting the shards back together, like a puzzle, but they just crumbled even further in his hands. "Nononononono!" He continued, to no avail, before his eyes scanned the room for any pieces of the bottle that saved his life, not finding any. "Please, please come back..." He begged, and when that didn't work, he finally collapsed and broke down into tears, screaming at the top of his lungs in anguish. Had he looked up, he would've realized that the Crystal Gems had been brought to their knees and were crying as well thanks to his aura, a sign of just how far reaching and powerful his pathokinesis was now.

The wailing continued for minutes before the hybrid grew silent. He slowly got up, ice forming around his feet, before facing the mural depicting his mother with glowing blue eyes and diamond-shaped pupils.

"You..." The ice spread all over the room.

 **"You..."** Not even the voice of his nightmare with Ruby and Sapphire was this toxic.

 **"DAMN YOU!"** Steven roared before unleashing a hail of lasers and icicles into the mural. The thuderous bombardment went on for several seconds, during which it seemed that the entire laboratory was about to fall apart, before it ceased.

Not a single trace of Blue Diamond's portrait was left.

\------------------

Meanwhile...

"What the hell?!" Amethyst exclaimed as the Crystal Gems, including Garnet, were suddenly overcome by what seemed like an extremely powerful earthquake.

"We were all on the floor crying just a moment ago! What is he doing up there?!" Rose struggled to stay on her feet.

"Are you suggesting Steven's behind this?!" Pearl replied, clearly offended.

"It's only logical!" (other) Pearl defended her (secret) owner. "And we haven't had any robonoids attacking us for quite a while now!"

The group heard the ceiling of the corridor they were crammed into cracking and about to collapse.

"Brace yourselves!" Rose shouted before summoning a bubble to protect herself and her subordinates. Thankfully, the 'earthquake' stopped before everything came crashing down on their heads.

The temperature in the hallway dropped considerably. "Hey, is it just me or did everything just get a lot -" Lapis didn't finish her question before she and the others immediately started to run again, faster than ever before. She had a very bad feeling about this.

"Anything clear yet, Garnet?" Rose asked.

"Not really, but we're close!" The fusion answered.

The gems entered the room where Steven fought the gem mutants immediately before his battle with Malachite, and quickly noticed how badly damaged it was, especially the floor. Their unease, Pearl's in particular of course, grew tenfold after Lapis found and retrieved the boy's glaive. They then raced up the staircase and made it to the top floor, becoming more and more horrified as they walked down the hallway leading to the control room, since the temperature had plummeted even further and they saw the battered remants of the first layer of Malachite's armor, as well as how thick some of its plates were. By the Stars, what did Steven do up here?

Overcome by her maternal instincts, Pearl raced ahead of her teammates into the control room despite their protests, only for them to immediately catch up to her after she emitted a horrified, blood-curdling scream.

"Bloop! What happened?!" Amethyst tried to help, only to freeze in her tracks after her eyes were greeted by what her friend saw. "Oh... God..." She covered her mouth.

The entire place was a smoking wreck. Nearly all of the computers had been smashed, there were cracks in the ceiling and the walls, bits of rubble and glass all over the floor, and a huge part of the wall had been straight up erased. Worst of all, there were several stains and puddles of blood.

And Steven, his once blue clothes now stained with crimson, was unconscious on the cold hard floor, right next to Malachite's bloody rapier.

"STEVEN!" Pearl screamed at the top of her nonexistent lungs and leaped to where her son was, immediately grabbing him by the shoulders and trying to shake him awake. "Come on, come on!" She cried tears of despair. "Please wake up! **Please!** "

"Move it!" Rose tried to move her aside so as to use her healing tears on the boy, but the hysterical mother hissed at her like a lioness protecting her cub. That was when the two noticed that Steven, despite being out cold, was breathing normally, after which both of them cried tears of joy and relief. _Dear Stars, if it hadn't been for that bottle..._ The rebel leader thought.

"Uh, guys?" Amethyst approached the pair, holding some of Malachite's shards, making the two mothers gasp and widen their eyes in horror.

"Oh no..." Neither of them could believe that their little boy may have just shattered someone.

Leaving the mom-ing to those who were more experienced with it, Lapis, Garnet and (other) Pearl inspected the rest of the room, or what was left of it anyway, and discovered what was of Malachite's cuirass.

"Well this is disturbingly familiar..." The pale instructor remarked to her teammates as they noticed the slot where the recently deceased general's gemstone was trapped inside, a sight that made Lapis cringe.

"Pearl!" Rose called. "Anything useful over there?"

"Just this!" (other) Pearl tossed the battered piece of armor, which Rose caught with ease. "How about you?"

"Well, Steven's alive, thank goodness."

"Don't tell me we just put this guy through hell for nothing." Amethyst asked, not really directed to anyone in particular, but still making the other gems grimace and look down in shame. There was no way they were going to explore this laboratory any longer, the all had more than enough of it.

(other) Pearl looked around, noticed one last intact screen, then clenched her fists. "Oh no we didn't." She made her way to the computer, but it didn't respond to her commands. "Garnet!" The fusion followed her, her hands crackling with electricity.

"Stand back." She said with a flat but still urgent voice, before touching the panel with both hands and smiling after it, along with the rest of the machine, came to life, something that was practically a grin by her standards.

The entire group's morale shot up. "Yeah!" Amethyst cheered, to which the others happily nodded before (other) Pearl began accessing the computer's database. "So, what's that you're lookin' at?" The purple gem asked.

"Many things, almost all of it worthless." The pale rebel replied. "Let's see here, hmm... A... ha..." She initially lit up after finally finding some useful files, but they were very... unpleasant to look at, to put it mildly. The screen showed the gemstones of several Cluster prototypes, how long it took to create them, what specific type and cut of gems were used to do so, the works. And they were all names the Crystal Gems knew.

"Anything else in there?" Pearl asked, struggling to hold Steven in her arms. Did he go through another growth spurt? His body seemed a little 'longer' than usual.

"Erm, Pearl, you need any help with him?" Lapis asked her fellow blue gem, noticing her strain.

"I'm fine." She quickly replied, to which Lapis just shrugged. Her new... friend with benefits was so weird sometimes.

"Five thousand years worth of security footage, from when this place was first created until today. In fact, we're being recorded right now." (other) Pearl answered her blue counterpart's question.

"Good." Rose stepped in. "After Pearl finishes downloading the data from that computer into the OSD Bloop gave us, we're getting out of here and never coming back. After that, we'll all set up camp and rest." She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "I need a nap..."

The others exchanged surprised looks and 'huh?'s to each other.

"Are you sure about this? You never... liked... sleeping." (other) Pearl asked with a very concerned look on her face. "Why not meditate instead?"

"Because of him." Rose glanced at Steven, still out cold on Pearl's back. "Amethyst was right, we put him through hell." She grabbed Malachite's rapier, sighed, then stored it in her gem. "And I'll get him out."

"Wait, wait. How's sleeping supposed to help?" Lapis asked. "You can just... what, talk to people in their dreams or something?"

Rose said nothing and just smirked in response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty sure its canon that there are single gem versions of fusions we saw in the show (there are a bunch of garnets in the Attack/Save/Unleash the Light games), so I decided to make the 'Dungeon Master', as DarnatD's comment on the last chapter nicknamed her, a malachite.
> 
> Also, if you've seen JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (and you're not a part skipper, of course), you'll realize that one of Steven's scenes with Malachite is an almost exact word-for-word ripoff of a similar scene in Phantom Blood (I even picked up the music that played in it!). I really, REALLY tried to come up with something else, but I couldn't, and, well, imitation is the best form of flattery.


End file.
